Machimus erythrocnemius (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 : 46

Machimus erythrocnemius (Hine)

Asilus erythrocnemius Hine, 1909: 163 .

Recognition characters: Dark brown species; 11–14 mm; mystax mostly with pale yellow bristles, a few short black ones above; thorax clothed with yellow dust, but with a distinct black mid-dorsal stripe; wings hyaline, slightly clouded at the apex and along the posterior border; abdomen color similar to thorax; femora black with a preapical red band; front femora with a row of weak, white bristles on the lower side; tibiae red, usually with a dark marking near the middle of the anterior side and apex dark; metatarsi red, other segments mostly black; some specimens hind tibiae with a narrow yellow band at the base.

Distribution: Recorded from Wyoming by: Adisoemarto (1967) (as Asilus erythrocnemius ); Cole (1969) (as Asilus erythrocnemius ); Fisher & Wilcox (1997); Geller-Grimm (2018); Hine (1909) (as Asilus erythrocnemius ); Martin & Wilcox (1965) (as Asilus erythrocnemius ).

Habitat: Habitat not identified in Wyoming. Machimus erythrocnemius was recorded in Michigan in grassy, sandy habitats, where it perched on leaf litter on the ground ( Baker & Fischer 1975). Bromley (1931a, as Promachus fitchii ) characterized the habitat as dry, hay fields or meadows. According to Cannings (2014), this species is widespread in western Canadian grasslands.

Ethology: Nothing known.

Prey: None known.