Machimus atricapillus (Fallén, 1814)
(Kite-tailed Robberfly)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesMachimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly)
GenusMachimus (a genus of robber flies)
FamilyASILIDAE (robber flies, assassin flies)
SuperfamilyASILOIDEA (robber & assassin flies, bee flies, stiletto flies & window flies)
InfraorderAsilomorpha (robber, bee, stiletto, window, dagger, long-legged & spider-parasite flies)
SuborderBRACHYCERA (short-horned flies)
OrderDIPTERA (two-winged flies)
Division Endopterygota (bees, beetles, flies, moths and other insects with wings developing internally)
InfraclassNeoptera (bees, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other advanced insects)
SubclassPTERYGOTA (bees, beetles, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, moths and other winged insects)
ClassINSECTA (true insects)
SubphylumHEXAPODA (insects and other 6-legged organisms)
PhylumARTHROPODA (arthropods)
SuperphylumECDYSOZOA (skin shedders)
CladeBilateria (bilaterally symmetrical animals)
SubkingdomEUMETAZOA (metazoans)
KingdomANIMALIA (animals)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly) :
1: Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly)
18 Jul 2015 OSGR: SU01 50° 60’ N, 1° 60’ W Vice County: South Wilts (VC 8) England
Male, swept off Ragwort
Image 1: Male - dorsal view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Male - genitalia - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 3: Male - head and thorax - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 4: Male - head and thorax - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 5: Male - head - anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 6: Male - head - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 7: Male - head - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 8: Male - lateral view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 9: Male - lateral view - enlarged - silver background (2)Image 10: Male - terminalia - lateral view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 11: Male - tab on sternite 8 - anterior view - microscope low magnification - white background
2: Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly)
17 Jul 2014 OSGR: SY99 50° 50’ N, 2° 0’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Female,. on fence rail
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 2: Female - head and thorax - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 3: Female - head and thorax - dorso-anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 4: Female - head and thorax - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 5: Female - head - anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 6: Female - head - dorsal view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 7: Female - head - dorso-anterior view - magnified - silver backgroundImage 8: Female - head - lateral view - highly enlarged - silver backgroundImage 9: Female - lateral view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 10: Female - ventral view - enlarged - silver backgroundImage 11: Wing - highly enlarged - white background
3: Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly)
17 Jul 2007 OSGR: ZZ00 Wales
. Photos: whole animal on pale background, close-up studies
Image 1: Male - dorsal view - close-up - pale backgroundImage 2: Male - dorso-lateral view - close-up - pale backgroundImage 3: Male - dorso-lateral view - close-up - pale background (2)Image 4: Male - lateral view - close-up - pale backgroundImage 5: Male - latero-ventral view - close-up - pale backgroundImage 6: Male - genitalia - lateral view - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 7: Male - head and thorax - dorsal view - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 8: Male - head and thorax - lateral view - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 9: Male - head - antero-ventral view - close-up - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 10: Male - head - antero-ventral view - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 11: Male - head - dorsal view - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 12: Male - head - lateral view - close-up - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 13: Male - head - lateral view - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 14: Male - terminalia - lateral view - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 15: Male - thorax and abdomen - lateral view - highly enlarged - grey backgroundImage 16: Wing - highly enlarged - white background
4: Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly)
2 Aug 2006 OSGR: SU66 51° 20’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: North Hants (VC 12) England
on fallen log, in sunshine . Photos: Male, on natural and pale backgrounds, whole insect and detail close-ups
Image 1: Male - dorsal view - enlargedImage 2: Male - dorso-lateral view - enlargedImage 3: Male - dorso-lateral view - enlarged (2)Image 4: Male - external genitalia - dorsal view - magnifiedImage 5: Male - head and thorax - dorsal view - magnifiedImage 6: Male - head - anterior view - magnifiedImage 7: Male - head - dorsal view - magnifiedImage 8: Male - head - front three-quarter view - magnifiedImage 9: Male - lateral view - enlargedImage 10: Male - lateral view - enlarged - pale backgroundImage 11: Male - latero-dorsal view - enlargedImage 12: Male - terminalia - lateral view - magnifiedImage 13: Male - terminalia - lateral view - magnified (2)Image 14: Male - terminalia - ventro-lateral view - magnifiedImage 15: Male - thorax - dorsal view - magnifiedImage 16: Male - ventral view - enlarged - pale background
5: Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly)
27 Sep 2005 OSGR: SU56 51° 20’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Male, resting on Raspberry leaf . Photos: Male imago, in situ, grey background
Image 1: Male - dorsal view - enlarged - grey backgroundImage 2: Male - lateral view - enlarged - grey backgroundImage 3: Male on leaf - dorsal view - enlargedImage 4: Male on leaf - latero-dorsal view - enlargedImage 5: Male on leaf - latero-dorsal view - enlarged (2)Image 6: Male - ventral view - enlarged - grey background
6: Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly)
10 Jul 1999 OSGR: SU67 51° 30’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Oxon (VC 23) England
Image 1: Female - dorsal view - wings apartImage 2: Female - dorsal view - wings apart (2)Image 3: Female - dorsal view - wings apart (3)Image 4: Female - head - dorsal viewImage 5: Female - head - face viewImage 6: Female - head - lateral viewImage 7: Female - head - ventral viewImage 8: Female - mid leg - tibia and tarsus - ventral viewImage 9: Female - thorax - dorsal viewImage 10: Female - thorax - ventral viewImage 11: Female - ventral viewImage 12: Female - ventral view (2)
7: Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly) IDENTIFICATION UNCERTAIN
9 Jul 1971 OSGR: TQ31 50° 50’ N, 0° 10’ W Vice County: East Sussex (VC 14) England
Mating pair
Image 1: Mating pair - enlarged

Identification Works

AuthorYearTitleSource
Smart, M.J. 2005 Identification of the females of the smaller British species of Machimus sensu lato (Diptera, Asilidae) with a note on the morphology of the ventral abdominal and thoracic plates Dipterists Digest (2nd Series) Vol 12: 61-68.

Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly) may also be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 0 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Machimus atricapillus (Kite-tailed Robberfly)
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