New Zealand bat fly

The New Zealand bat fly (Mystacinobia zelandica) is a small, wingless insect which lives in a commensal relationship with the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat. It is a true fly, in the order Diptera, placed in its own genus, Mystacinobia, and its own family, Mystacinobiidae. Although many other species of bat fly exist throughout the world, the New Zealand bat fly is endemic to the islands of New Zealand. It appears to be the only insect, parasitic or otherwise, which lives with these bats (fleas, for example, which are common on many other species of bat, are unknown on the short-tailed bat).

New Zealand bat fly
Mystacinobia zelandica holotype NZAC04019196 (male), dorsal view
Lateral view
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Subsection: Calyptratae
Superfamily: Oestroidea
Family: Mystacinobiidae
Genus: Mystacinobia
Species:
M. zelandica
Binomial name
Mystacinobia zelandica
Holloway, 1976
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.