Machimus

Loew, 1849

Bladetails

Species Guides

20

Machimus is a of robber flies (Asilidae) comprising approximately 188 described . The genus is nearly , absent only from Australia and New Zealand, with greatest diversity in the and southern Asia. Members are medium-sized predatory flies with varied ecological specializations, including at least one species (M. polyphemi) that is an obligate commensal of gopher tortoise burrows.

Machimus maneei by (c) Nick Block, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Nick Block. Used under a CC-BY license.Machimus occidentalis by (c) Tristan A. McKnight, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tristan A. McKnight. Used under a CC-BY license.Machimus snowii by (c) DiegoH, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by DiegoH. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Machimus: /ˈma.kʰi.mus/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Habitat

varies by : open habitats with dry soils are common, including sandhill and longleaf pine ; some species occupy specialized microhabitats such as vertebrate burrows.

Distribution

Nearly worldwide except Australia and New Zealand; most native to and southern Asia; individual species ranges vary from widespread (Europe through Russia to Sakhalin Island and Iran) to narrowly (southeastern United States Coastal Plain).

Seasonality

activity varies by ; M. atricapillus flies from May to October with peak in July and August.

Diet

are on other insects, primarily Diptera; larvae of at least some feed on larvae (Scarabaeidae, Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae) in soil.

Host Associations

  • Gopherus polyphemus (gopher tortoise) - obligate commensal (M. polyphemi inhabits tortoise burrows)One of 12 obligate commensals of gopher tortoise burrows

Life Cycle

Larvae are soil-dwelling; emerge after . Detailed developmental stages vary by and are incompletely documented.

Behavior

often perch on vantage points such as fence posts, tree trunks, foliage, or bare ground to sun themselves and ambush prey. Males of M. atricapillus possess a distinctive kite-tail-shaped projection on sternite eight used in identification.

Ecological Role

of other insects as ; larval stages contribute to soil as predators of larvae. At least one contributes to the diverse commensal supported by engineers (gopher tortoises).

Similar Taxa

  • TolmerusGeneric placement disputed; M. atricapillus treated as Tolmerus atricapillus by most authorities but retained in Machimus by UK sources. Separation requires examination of male genitalia and other structural characters.

More Details

Genomic resources

assembly available for M. atricapillus: 268.6 Mb with 10,978 protein-coding genes, scaffolded into six chromosomal pseudomolecules including X and Y .

Conservation note

M. polyphemi, a longleaf pine , has been documented in disturbed sandhill ; conservation status warrants attention given habitat specificity and dependence on gopher tortoise .

Sources and further reading