Belly-shaped Hard Grass vs Common Awl Robberfly

Aegilops ventricosa compared with Neoitamus cyanurus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Belly-shaped Hard Grass	Common Awl Robberfly
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Diptera (Diptera)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Asilidae
Genus	Aegilops	Neoitamus
Species	Aegilops ventricosa	Neoitamus cyanurus

Conservation Status

Belly-shaped Hard Grass

LC — Least Concern

Common Awl Robberfly

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Belly-shaped Hard Grass	Common Awl Robberfly
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Belly-shaped Hard Grass

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Netherlands, and United Kingdom.

Common Awl Robberfly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Belly-shaped Hard Grass

The Belly-shaped Hard Grass (Aegilops ventricosa) is a species in the genus Aegilops. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Common Awl Robberfly

<em>Neoitamus cyanurus</em>, commonly known as the Common Awl Robberfly, is a predatory dipteran insect in the family Asilidae. This species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is distributed across northern and western Europe, including Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Like all robber flies, the Common Awl Robberfly is an active aerial predator that captures other flying insects in mid-flight, using its strong legs and piercing mouthparts to subdue and consume prey. Adults typically frequent open and semi-open habitats such as forest clearings, heathlands, and sunny woodland edges where prey insects are abundant. The larvae are believed to develop in soil or decaying wood, where they feed on other invertebrate larvae. Adults are typically observed perching on bare ground or low vegetation, from which they launch short, rapid flights to intercept passing prey. Their robust build, bristly body, and forward-pointing beak are characteristic features of the Asilidae family. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium