Robber flies deliver a painful bite, so be careful with them. They don't “go after” humans, but if you mishandle them, they might bite. Their bite, adapted for their predatory lifestyle, injects digestive enzymes and a painful venom. If one lands on you, don't slap it — instead, brush it lightly away.
The common name for this group comes from their ferocious manner of pouncing from the air on their prey. Various species of robber flies are common in different areas throughout North America.
The world is full of robber flies—approximately 7,000 species have been recognized worldwide and 1,000 are native to North America. A robber fly perched on a flat piece of sandstone in the red rock country of the Colorado Plateau. The choice of perch was not arbitrary, for here the robber had a view in all directions.
Machimus is a genus of flies in the family Asilidae, the robber flies and assassin flies. They can be found nearly worldwide, except in Australia and New Zealand. Most are native to the Palearctic realm and southern Asia.
Machimus chrysitis (Meigen, 1820)
kingdom Animalia - animals » phylum Arthropoda - arthropods » class Insecta - insects » order Diptera - true flies, mosquitoes and gnats » family Asilidae - robber flies » genus Machimus
