Alice Springs Fauna •
Alice Springs DipteraGreen Blowfly Australiphthiria sp (Bee Fly) Golden Native Drone Fly (Eristalinus punctulatus) Mydas Fly, Miltinus sp Robber Fly, Bathypogon sp Soldier Flies (Odontomyia) Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Opaluma (Australian Soldier Fly) Stiletto Fly (Agapophytus yeatesi) Yellow-shouldered Hover Fly, Ischiodon scutellaris
From the order Diptera, this Mydas Fly, belongs to the genus Miltinus, family Mydidae. This family of flies is a small group that are usually large in size, some varying in length from 9 to 60 mm in body length.
The Mydas Fly family are sometimes called flower flies, in that they feed on pollen and nectar (usually from native plants).
Many of the species in the group are mimics of stinging hymenopterans, especially wasps. They are found in arid and semi arid regions, although they are also found in other habitats.
The Miltinus fly pictured here was rescued from a swimming pool in Alice Springs, and measured approximately 2.5 cm in length.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Informal: Pterygotes
- Order: Diptera
- Suborder: Brachycera
- Informal: Orthorrhapha
- Superfamily: Asiloidea
- Family: Mydidae
- Subfamily: Apiophorinae
- Genus: Miltinus
- Species:
- Miltinus atripennis Paramonov, 1955
- Miltinus atripes Paramonov, 1950
- Miltinus brunneus Paramonov, 1961
- Miltinus cardinalis Gerstaecker, 1868
- Miltinus cinctus Paramonov, 1955
- Miltinus commoni Paramonov, 1950
- Miltinus confrater Paramonov, 1955
- Miltinus dentipennis Mackerras, 1928
- Miltinus entipennis Mackerras, 1928
- Miltinus insularis Paramonov, 1961
- Miltinus maculipennis (Westwood, 1841)
- Miltinus minutus Mackerras, 1928
- Miltinus musgravei Mackerras, 1928
- Miltinus norrisi Paramonov, 1950
- Miltinus parviduatus Paramonov, 1950
- Miltinus rieki Paramonov, 1950
- Miltinus sordidus (Westwood, 1848)
- Miltinus stenogaster (Westwood, 1841)
- Miltinus tenuis Mackerras, 1928
- Miltinus varipes (Macquart, 1850)
- Miltinus viduatus (Westwood, 1835)
(At time of writing, Atlas of LIving Australia has 21 listed species)
Footnote & References
- Many thanks for the ID from Ken Walker, member of Australian Polistinae and other Hymenoptera, https://www.facebook.com/groups/188453645581988/
- Many thanks for the order ID from The Weird Wild: a Natural History of Oz, member of Australian Polistinae and other Hymenoptera, https://www.facebook.com/groups/188453645581988/
- Miltinus Gerstaecker, 1868, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/a9fbc7ca-06fa-463a-aca9-d5f89c0a6eb8?fbclid=IwAR1z0HR7chzS8c99wh47noONLXo-YfrbzAj03NR7YH2qyOQXbZtR1COZ1Tw
- Genus Miltinus, ausemade, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/190991777
- Genus Miltinus, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/521238-Miltinus
Alice Springs DipteraGreen Blowfly Australiphthiria sp (Bee Fly) Golden Native Drone Fly (Eristalinus punctulatus) Mydas Fly, Miltinus sp Robber Fly, Bathypogon sp Soldier Flies (Odontomyia) Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Opaluma (Australian Soldier Fly) Stiletto Fly (Agapophytus yeatesi) Yellow-shouldered Hover Fly, Ischiodon scutellaris
Alice Springs InsectsAntlion (Heoclisis fundata) Ants (Formicidae) Bees Beetles Index Blattodea Butterflies & Moths (Lepidopterans) Cicadas Diptera Dragonflies Mantodea – Mantises Orthoptera – Orthopteroids True Bugs (Heteroptera) Wasps
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