The San Joaquin Valley Giant Flower-loving Fly (Rhaphiomidas trochilus; GFLF) is one of the largest flies in North America which was presumed extinct in the 1970s until its rediscovery in 1997. It is currently pending review for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. Due to habitat loss, it is now only known to occur at Sand Ridge, approximately 24 km east of Bakersfield, California. This rare species inhabits arid areas characterized by loose sandy soils, scattered vegetation, and perennial shrubs. It spends most of its life underground foraging as a larva before emerging as an adult in the dry summers. Torrential rainfall and anomalous August rains in 2023 may have contributed to the absence of the GFLF from annual surveys conducted over the season. This may be the first recorded instance in which a Rhaphiomidas species has not been observed during its expected flight season possibly due to excessive moisture rather than drought. This poses a question about how excessive precipitation in addition to extreme bouts of drought may affect the long-term survival of rare and endangered species that are vulnerable to the effects of small population size (e.g. inbreeding depression, resiliency to demographic or environmental stochasticity, etc.).