Atherix variegata
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Diptera
- Family: Athericidae
- Genus: Atherix
- Species: Atherix variegata
Visual Description
Atherix variegata is a fly characterized by its distinct appearance, often observed in specimens as having a patterned body. Based on observations from the TreeOfLife-200M dataset, the species exhibits a slender, elongated body typical of the family Athericidae, with wings that are often held in a characteristic position when at rest. The coloration typically includes mottled or variegated patterns on the abdomen and thorax, which provide camouflage in their natural riparian environments.[1]
Biology and Ecology
Atherix variegata belongs to the family Athericidae, a group of flies commonly referred to as "water snipe flies" or "ibis flies" [2]. The genus Atherix is notable for a unique reproductive behavior where females aggregate on vegetation overhanging water to lay large egg masses, often forming clusters that may include the remains of thousands of individuals . Morphological studies of the species have included detailed examinations of male terminalia, such as the hypopygium and epandrium .
Phylogenetically, the family Athericidae is closely related to the Tabanidae, and both are placed within the infraorder Tabanomorpha .
Gallery
References
- 1 2 Dataset view for Animalia / Arthropoda / Insecta / Diptera / Athericidae / Atherix / variegata constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.
- ↑ Carlos Henrique Marchiori. Biology, ecology and biogeography of Athericidae family (Hymenoptera: Athericidae). International Journal of Frontiers in Science and Technology Research. 2022. https://doi.org/10.53294/ijfstr.2022.2.2.0022.