Benhamyia apicalis
Species of fly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benhamyia apicalis is a species of soldier fly described by Francis Walker in 1849, who originally called the species Diphysa apicalis.[2][1] It is endemic to New Zealand.
| Benhamyia apicalis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Stratiomyidae |
| Subfamily: | Beridinae |
| Genus: | Benhamyia |
| Species: | B. apicalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Benhamyia apicalis | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description
Walker's original 1849 description is as follows:
Head black, hoary in front: eyes pitchy-black; facets of the fore feet rather larger than those elsewhere: palpi and sucker tawny; second joint of the palpi spindle-shaped, not broader than the first: feelers black, filiform, dark red towards the base, nearly as long as the chest: chest and breast dark purple; chest adorned with golden down, which forms three stripes; scutcheon tawny, armed with four teeth: abdomen tawny, a little narrower than the chest and nearly twice its length, slightly decreasing in breadth from the base to the tip, which is purple: legs tawny; hind legs long, their thighs club-shaped; fore feet pitchy: wings colourless on the disk, tawny along the fore border, gray along the hind border and at the tip, adorned with a blackish band which does not reach the hind border; wing-ribs and veins tawny; veins pitchy on the blackish band; poisers pale yellow. Length of the body 31⁄2 lines; of the wings 7 lines.[1]
Distribution
The species is endemic to New Zealand, found on both the North Island and South Island.[3]
Gallery
- Benhamyia apicalis on a tree in Christchurch
- Two Benhamyia apicalis mating in Dunedin
- Specimen from Lincoln
- Specimen from Dunedin
- Close-up of the wings of Benhamyia apicalis