Common Red-legged Robberfly vs Green Sea Turtle

Dioctria rufipes compared with Chelonia mydas

Key Differences

• Common Red-legged Robberfly is Least Concern while Green Sea Turtle is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Red-legged Robberfly	Green Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Diptera (Diptera)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Asilidae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Dioctria	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Dioctria rufipes	Chelonia mydas

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Red-legged Robberfly and Green Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Red-legged Robberfly

LC — Least Concern

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Red-legged Robberfly	Green Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	80 years
Average Length	—	1.2 m
Average Weight	—	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Red-legged Robberfly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Green Sea Turtle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Mexico. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Red-legged Robberfly

<em>Dioctria rufipes</em>, the common red-legged robberfly, is a predatory fly in the family Asilidae, order Diptera. It is distributed across northwestern Europe, with confirmed records from Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, typically favoring woodland edges, hedgerows, and meadows with abundant vegetation. The species is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting stable populations across its European range. Robberflies in the genus Dioctria are slender, elongated flies characterized by a distinctive long proboscis used to inject paralyzing saliva into prey. <em>Dioctria rufipes</em> typically hunts smaller flying insects, including midges, small flies, and other soft-bodied arthropods, ambushing prey from resting perches on vegetation and capturing it mid-flight. Adults are typically active from late spring to early autumn, coinciding with peak insect activity. The red or reddish-orange coloration of the hind femora is the diagnostic feature that gives this species its common name. Larvae develop in soil or decaying wood, where they are believed to be predatory on other invertebrate larvae. Biological traits such as precise lifespan, body measurements, and diet composition remain poorly documented in quantitative studies. The species is considered an important component of invertebrate predator guilds in European agricultural landscapes.

Green Sea Turtle

The green sea turtle is one of the largest sea turtles. They are named for the green color of their cartilage and fat, not their shells.