Bee Fly (Australiphthiria sp)

Alice Springs Desert Park

ASDP InsectsAmegilla chlorocyanea Bee Banksia Moth – Caterpillar Bee Fly (Australiphthiria sp) Bee Fly (Ligyra cingulata) Braunsapis sp Bush Cockroach (Ellipsidion humarale) Caper White Butterfly Chequered Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus ssp sthenelus) Crusader Bug (Mictis profana) Day Flying Moth Exoneurella eremophila Bee Ground Shield Bug Heliotrope Moth (Utetheisa pulchelloides) Katydid (Taeniomenae) Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) Mating Lasioglossum (Homalictus) Opisthopsis sp Potter Wasp Processionary Caterpillar Snout Beetle (Lixus) Torymus Chalcid Wasp Transverse Ladybird

Alice Springs Desert ParkFauna Flora Nature Theatre Nocturnal House

The tiny bee-flies belonging to the genus Australiphthiria are unusual for bee-flies, in that they are nearly hairless and don’t have the distinctively bent wing-veins displayed by many species. They are diurnal (day-time activity).

These small insects have been photographed here enjoying the nectar of the flowering Australian Desert Rose (Gossypium australe), in the the Alice Springs Desert Park.

This genus Australiphthiria species are often found on the flowering genus Gossypium, including the Australian Desert Rose (Gossypium australe) (pictured here), Sturt’s Desert Rose (Gossyipium sturtianum var. sturtianum) and the Bush Hibiscus (Radyera farragei).