At first I thought it was a mosquito, but as it ate its prey, I still have my doubts. The prey is visible under L in the photo. The wood where this kind of mosquito? sitting is 3 cm. wide. It is larger than an ordinary mosquito by 1.5 to 2 cm.
Answer
Dear Francois,
This is not a mosquito, but a predatory fly (family Asilidae). With their short strong proboscis (proboscis) they sting their prey and inject neurotoxic poison and digestive enzymes. This paralyzes the prey and digests it from within. The predatory fly then sucks in the liquefied contents of its victim through the proboscis. The body length varies from 0.3 to 5 cm.
Without a better photo it is uncertain to say, but I suspect this is the common robber fly (Machimus atricapillus). More info here: https://waarnemingen.be/sort/info/8189
Regards,
Ann
Answered by
Ann Geens
biology, biomedical sciences
Rijvisschestraat 120 9052 Ghent
http://www.biotechnology.be
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