食虫虻（学名：Asilidae）又称盗虻，双翅目短角亚目，分布于世界各地，大约有7100种。

所有的食虫虻都有粗壮，长着刺的腿，脸部有浓密的胡子状的鬃毛，两只大的复眼中间有3个单眼。鬃毛在遇到猎物时保护头部和脸部。触角短，分成3段，有些有猪鬃状的芒。

其喙短且强，用来刺破猎物并注入含有毒性和蛋白水解酶唾液，使猎物内部麻痹，通过长嘴吮吸液体。许多物种腹部长，逐渐变细，另一些腹部扁平。成年食虫虻攻击其他苍蝇、甲虫、蝴蝶、飞蛾、各种蜜蜂、蚂蚁、豆娘、黄蜂、蝗虫、一些蜘蛛。

The Asilidae are the robber fly family, also called assassin flies. They are powerfully built, bristly flies with a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx. The name "robber flies" reflects their notoriously aggressive predatory habits; they feed mainly or exclusively on other insects and as a rule they wait in ambush and catch their prey in flight.