Acatopygia
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Diptera
- Family: Therevidae
- Genus: Acatopygia
Overview
Acatopygia is a genus of stiletto flies (family Therevidae) endemic to Australia. These flies are typically associated with sandy, heath habitats in eastern Australia.[2] The genus is closely related to Patanothrix.[2]
Visual Description
Acatopygia species are characterized by a slender, elongate body form.[2] Observations of specimens in the TreeOfLife-200M dataset reveal distinct wing patterns, specifically featuring dark, strongly defined bands across the wing surface.[1] The body exhibits varied coloration depending on the species, ranging from olive-green scuta to bright yellow appendages.[2]
Morphology and Diagnosis
The genus is morphologically defined by a closed third medial cell (m3) in the wing venation.[2] Male genitalia are diagnostic, featuring an arched epandrium with ventrally extending lateral margins, a medial atrium between the gonocoxites, and a hypandrium characterized by a patch of strong, posteriorly directed setae.[2] Females are characterized by the presence of three spherical spermathecae and a small, rounded spermathecal sac.[2]
Species Composition
There are three recognized species within the genus:
- Acatopygia olivacea: Distinguished by an olive-green scutum, brown legs and antennae, and black, scale-like setae on male abdominal sternites 4–7. It lacks silver velutum on the male abdomen.[2]
- Acatopygia paradoxa: Identified by bright yellow antennae and forelegs, and the presence of dense, silver velutum on the male abdomen.[2]
- Acatopygia pulchella: Characterized by brown antennae and forelegs, a scutum with distinct white-grey dorsocentral stripes, and the presence of silver velutum on the male abdomen.[2]
Gallery
References
- 1 2 Dataset view for Animalia / Arthropoda / Insecta / Diptera / Therevidae / Acatopygia constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Shaun L. Winterton. Revision of the Australian stiletto fly genus Acatopygia Kröber (Diptera: Therevidae: Agapophytinae). Zootaxa. 2007. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1405.1.3.