Family Asilidae

Bodenheimer (Animal Life in Palestine, 1935) has this to say:
Asilid flies are very numerous. These large and slender species are seen on flowers or on wooden posts etc., looking for prey. They prefer to sit on an elevated spot, the abdomen inclined upward and the head foreward, ready to rush at their victim, at any moment. Even the hard beetles are not spared. The larger species, as Asilus crabroniformis, are up to 30 mm long. They are colored somewhat like a hornet, and, when they suddenly begin their loud humming, they can easily be mistaken for one. Species ofDioctria, Saropogon, Stenopogon, Promachus, Heligmoneura, and others are frequently observed.

From Wikipedia: Flies in the Diptera family Asilidae are commonly known as robber flies. The family Asilidae contains about 7,100 described species worldwide. All robber flies have stout, spiny legs, a dense moustache of bristles on the face (mystax), and 3 simple eyes (ocelli) in a characteristic depression between their two large compound eyes. The mystax helps protect the head and face when the fly encounters prey bent on defense. The antennae are short, 3-segmented, sometimes with a bristle-like structure called an arista. The short, strong proboscis is used to stab and inject victims with saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes which paralyze and digest the insides; the fly then sucks the liquefied meal through the proboscis. Many species have long, tapering abdomens, sometimes with a sword-like ovipositor. Others are fat-bodied bumble bee mimics. Adult robber flies attack other flies, beetles, butterflies and moths, various bees, dragon and damselflies, ichneumon wasps, grasshoppers, and some spiders.

Species	Reference source	Collection
Oligopogon palestinensis Theodor, 1980	Theodor, 1980
Rhadinus sp. near laurae Bezzi, 1922	Theodor, 1980
Rhadinus megalonyx Loew, 1856	Theodor, 1980
Rhadinus ungulinus Loew, 1856	Theodor, 1980
Stichopogon albellus Loew, 1856	Theodor, 1980
Stichopogon angustifrons Theodor, 1980	Theodor, 1980
Stichopogon chrysostoma Schiner, 1867	Theodor, 1980
Stichopogon deserti Theodor, 1980	Theodor, 1980
Stichopogon flaviventris Efflatoun, 1937	Theodor, 1980

REJECTED

Species	Reference source	Collection
Apoclea helvipes Loew, 1873	Bodenheimer, 1937
Asilus crabroniformis Linnaeus 1758	Bodenheimer, 1937
Dasymachus albiciliatus Loew	Bodenheimer, 1937
Dasypogon melanopygus Becker, 1903	Bodenheimer, 1937
Dioctria flaviceps Meigen	Bodenheimer, 1937
Dioctria lateralis Meigen 1804	Bodenheimer, 1937
Epitriptus syriacus (Schiner, 1867)	Bodenheimer, 1937
Eriopogon jubatus Becker, 1906	Bodenheimer, 1937
Heligmoneura goliath Schiner, 1867	Bodenheimer, 1937
Heligmoneura illustris Schiner, 1867	Bodenheimer, 1937
Saropogon jugulum Loew 1847	Bodenheimer, 1937
Stenopogon elongatus (Meigen 1804)	Bodenheimer, 1937
Stenopogon sabaudus (Fabricius 1794)	Bodenheimer, 1937	Bet Dagan
Stichopogon elegantulus (Wiedemann in Meigen, 1820)	Bodenheimer, 1937

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