Longleaf-pine-endemic
Guides
Machimus polyphemi
Gopher Tortoise Robber Fly
Machimus polyphemi is a robber fly species described in 1991 that exhibits an obligate commensal relationship with gopher tortoise burrows. It is one of 12 known invertebrate species that depend entirely on burrows excavated by Gopherus polyphemus. The species is essentially endemic to longleaf pine ecosystems, particularly sandhill communities, across the southeastern United States Coastal Plain.