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Hello,

I'm not sure about the ID of this Machimus sp. I thought M. gonatistes or M. rusticus, a friend suggested me M. rusticus.

16.08.2013 - North Italy


Senza titolo di Marcello Consolo, su Flickr

Thanks for the help!

Ciao,
Marcello

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Most features fit M rusticus, it could be right but the black occipital bristles are puzzling me....cf. More experience required with local diptera.

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Thanks Reinoud, I have some doubt too, but I can't find another more similar Machimus.

Thanks for your help!

Best regards,
Marcello

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You can have a look at M. annulipes

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Hi Reinoud,

someone on the site Sociedad Mexicana de Entomologia (they shared my photo on facebook), say that this is a Lochmorhynchus albicans.

Any idea about it? I'm unable to find photos about this specie.

Thanks for your help!

Marcello

PS: I saw the male genitalia and it's different, then it's not a Palaearctic genus!

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Hi Reinoud,

the M. annulipes is not present on the Italian checklist. We have this species:

Machimus (Machimus) Loew, 1849

Machimus (Machimus) caliginosus (Meigen, 1820) (N)

Machimus (Machimus) chrystis (Meigen, 1820) (N)

Machimus (Machimus) cribratus (Loew, 1849) (S)

Machimus (Machimus) cyanopus (Loew, 1849) (N)

Machimus (Machimus) dasypygus (Loew, 1849) (S, Si)

Machimus (Machimus) fimbriatus (Meigen, 1804) (N, S)

Machimus (Machimus) fortis (Loew, 1849) (S)

Machimus (Machimus) gonatistes (Zeller, 1840) (N)

Machimus (Machimus) lacinulatus Loew, 1854 (N, S)

Machimus (Machimus) minusculus Bezzi, 1899 (S)

Machimus (Machimus) pilipes (Meigen, 1820) (S)

Machimus (Machimus) rusticus (Meigen, 1820) (N, S)

Machimus (Machimus) setibarbis (Loew, 1849) (N)

Where N = North and S = South.
I found this subject at North Italy.

Thank you for the help!

Ciao,
Marcello

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Hello Marcello,

The genitalia are definitely Machimus genitalia. In Manual of Neotropical Diptera: Asilidae page 18 genitalia of a Lochmorynchus are displayed. The look quite different. (http://revistas.ffclrp.usp.br/Neotropical_Diptera/article/viewFile/243/193)
Furthermore there is no reference in faunaeur.org for Lochmorhynchus in Europe and Geller-Grimms' extensive database covers no references for the genus in Europe. I would be very curious to know on what literature the Lochmorhynchus identification is based.
If a species in the genus Machimus is not listed for Italy is not so relevant. Even in the far better researched countries of Belgium and The Netherlands with only 40 species of Asilidae its still possible to find new species. I think, if you'd fanaticly started chasing Asilidae in Italy, after two or three years, you'd find even a species new for science!
Lovely photo b.t.w!

Greetings,

Ectemnius

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I now doubt the identification as L. albicans. That species is listed as a Neotropical species who occurs in Peru and environs....

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Hi Ectemnius,

yes, I agree. I looked the same pdf "Neotropical Diptera. Asilidae".
How I sayd before, the genitalia are differents and this genus is not present in the Italian checklist, so they have done a big mistake.
I'm sure too that it's a Machimus sp. and I think you are right, it could be a new specie here and it make me more curious.

Thanks for your confirm.

Ciao,
Marcello

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I do not want to disappoint you, but this is either M. rusticus or M. annulipes. Keys by Weinberg & Bachli '95 and EO Engel '30 will end up here. These 2 species look very much alike. Research by Ionescu and Weinberg 1961 shows that there is much overlap in features and that these are very variable. However most features seem to fit M. annulipes especially the beard and the occipital bristles wich are basically black. Problem are the numbers of yellow bristles on the legs. M annulipes in general has more black bristles than yellow and vice versa for M rusticus. Hard to tell from a single picture. It could be that this species will have to be collected and its genitals examined.