''Scorpiurus thorpei'' is a species of fly belonging to the family Dolichopodidae. First described by Kazuhiro Masunaga in 2017, it is endemic to New Zealand.

Taxonomy

The species was identified by Japanese entomologist Kazuhiro Masunaga in 2017, based on a holotype he collected west of

Linkwater LinkWater, the trading name of the Queensland Bulk Water Transport Authority, a former statutory authority of the Government of Queensland was in operation between 2008 and 2012. During this period, the authority was responsible for the managem ...

in the

Marlborough District Marlborough District or the Marlborough Region (, or ''Tauihu''), commonly known simply as Marlborough, is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, located on the northeast of the South Island. Marlborough is a unitary authority, both a distri ...

in 2007. Masunaga named the species after entomologist Stephen E. Thorpe, who collected many paratypes of the species and assisted in the collection process.

Description

Males of ''S. thorpei'' have a body length ranging between , and a wing length of between , while females' body lengths range between , and have wing lengths of between . The species is morphologically similar to '' S. aenescens'', but differs as ''S. thorpei'' has pale brown legs and relatively straight posterior adbominal segments, meaning the species does not have a scorpion-like appearance.

Distribution

The species is endemic to New Zealand, found on both the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

and the northern

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

References

{{Authority control Insects described in 2017 Diptera of New Zealand Hydrophorinae Endemic insects of New Zealand