Orange Hunchback Bibionid Fly
This species must be quite common in Queensland but shows no records in biodiversity databases yet. I assume this has more to do that researchers in Queensland don't get much support from their museum and have learned to stick to themselves and do their own thing. Really, it is an issue (not even Queensland biosecurity expertise flows into ALA or GBIF)! This animal showed when doing some weeding just when it started to rain. Oh, blue sky now, an hour later, and this is Queensland, too. As to the animal, roughly 12mm, not shy, since it loved my weeding bucket and would not move much. Body is all orange. There are a lot of 100% matching picture records out there for this species. This might be the female according to some information on the web. Since I saw some similar species under that name with totally different antennae, I assume it would pay to read the original description. Head is totally dark brown. Short antennae, about 8-9 segments (depending on how one counts). Mouth short with short 'beard'. Two large, oval multifacetted and elevated compound eyes on its side. Three dense and elevated oculi near its neck. Orange front of thorax is highly elevated, hence my choice of name. Legs long with thick tibia. Very obvious spikes in is leg joints. In some web records, those are clearly missing pointing to some misidentifications of a potentially cryptic species. Maybe its name points exactly to this fact, namely that this guy imitates and looks similar to a different species. This is my second Bibionid Fly. ALA has them as march flies which is not understood and accepted elsewhere in the world. Surely, Australia knows it (not?) better. Just to clarify once more: I have no expertise and did not read the original description or any taxonomic information on this species. I just love its looks.
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