Bee FliesBee Flies Index Bee Fly (Anthrax) Australiphthiria Cryomyia sp Ligyra Neosardus cosmus
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.
These are very small insects that have been photographed here in Alice Springs.
Olive Pink Botanic Garden NT
It has been suggested they belong to the family Bombyliidae and possibly the genus Pygocona or genus Australiphthiria.
However, I have witness over 50 of them and none of them have the wings apart when at rest, they are always folded over their abdomen. Their abdomen is also more rounded. Our observations uploaded to iNaturalistAU are currently ID to the genus Australiphthiria.
Olive Pink Botanic Garden NT
They seem to favour the flowers of the family Malvaceae, both genus Gossypium and Radyera.
Olive Pink Botanic Garden NT
The Australiphthiria sp were also seen sharing the same flowers with other insects such as the Apis Mellifera.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Subclass: Pterygota
- Order: Diptera
- Suborder: Brachycera
- Infraorder: Orthorrhapha
- Superfamily: Asiloidea
- Family: Bombyliidae
- Subfamily: Phthiriinae
- Tribe: Phthiriini
- Genus: Australiphthiria
Footnote & References
- Many thanks for ID to Chris Lambkin (chris-lambkin) of iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/109521160
- Australiphthiria Evenhuis, 1986, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/ Australiphthiria
- Genus Australiphthiria, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/633588-Australiphthiria
- Genus Australiphthiria, ausemade, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/109521160
- Australiphthiria (genus), NatureMapr, https://canberra.naturemapr.org/species/1384
Bee FliesBee Flies Index Bee Fly (Anthrax) Australiphthiria Cryomyia sp Ligyra Neosardus cosmus
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