Machimus gilvipes (Hine)

Lavigne, Robert J. & Dennis, Steve, 2019, Robber flies (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae) of Wyoming, USA with keys to genera and species, Zootaxa 4662 (1), pp. 1-126 : 47

Machimus gilvipes (Hine)

Asilus gilvipes Hine, 1918: 319 .

Recognition characters: Reddish brown species; length 14–24 mm; mystax reddish brown with few black bristles; thorax golden brown pollinose, setae black anteriorly, reddish brown posteriorly; scutellar bristles 2–5, black; wings hyaline with brownish aspect; abdomen, posterior margins of 1–7 and narrow anterior margins of 2–5 densely golden brown pollinose creating a banded appearance; legs reddish brown except for apical four tarsal segments which are blackish brown.

Distribution: ALBANY: Centennial, 12 July 1960 ( RJL) (two specimens in CAS), 24 km E of Centennial, 14 June–26 July ( RJL); Laramie, 14 June–26 July ( RJL); 11 km W Laramie, 3 July 1962 ( RJL) (specimen in CAS), 8 km N Laramie, 3 July 1962 ( RJL) (specimen in CAS). FREMONT: 16 km S of Shoshoni 14 June–26 July ( RJL). PLATTE: 11km W of Guernsey,, 1,326 m (4,350 ft), 14 June 1962 ( RJL). Recorded from Wyoming by: Bullington & Lavigne (1980) (as Asilus gilvipes ); Fisher & Wilcox (1997); Geller-Grimm (2018); Lavigne (1968) (as Asilus gilvipes ); Lavigne & Dennis (1994); Schreiber & Lavigne (1986) (as Asilus gilvipes ).

Habitat: Sagebrush steppe and wheatgrass-needlegrass shrub steppe shrub and grassland, and grama-buffalo grass grassland vegetation types. Open range (rangeland), short-grass plains at elevations from 1,310 –2,316 m (4,300–7,600 ft).

Ethology: Adults are found resting and foraging from the ground within or at entrances of abandoned badger holes, more rarely in rodent burrows [see Lavigne 1968; Bullington & Lavigne 1980 (an instance of multiple mating); Schreiber and Lavigne 1986 (all as Asilus gilvipes )].

Prey: COLEOPTERA , DIPTERA , HYMENOPTERA , LEPIDOPTERA , ORTHOPTERA (see Lavigne 1968; Lavigne & Dennis 1994; Rogers & Lavigne 1972 (as Asilus gilvipes ); Schreiber & Lavigne 1986).