''Tapeigaster annulipes'' is a species of

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

in the family

Heleomyzidae The Heleomyzidae is a small family of true flies in the insect order Diptera. Over 740 described species of Heleomyzidae occur in about 76 generaPape, Thomas, Vladimir Blagoderov, and Michail B. Mostovski. "Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758." An ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, occurring in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. It is common and widely distributed within this range and can be found in forested and urban areas alike.

Description

Adult ''T. annulipes'' are medium-sized flies with bodies and wings measuring long. All bristles on the head and thorax are black, as are the antennae and

arista Arista may refer to: Organizations *Arista Networks, a software defined networking company *Arista Records, an American record label, division of Sony Music **Arista Nashville, a record label specializing in country music *Arista (honor society) ...

. The thorax is reddish, with a broad grey longitudinal stripe running down the middle of the mesoscutum from the neck to the scutellum and broad grey stripes running down the sides of the thorax. The

halteres ''Halteres'' (; singular ''halter'' or ''haltere'') (from grc, ἁλτῆρες, weights held in the hands to give an impetus in leaping) are a pair of small club-shaped organs on the body of two orders of flying insects that provide infor ...

are whitish and the scutellum is the same reddish colour as the rest of the thorax, only dusted with grey at the base. The legs are a shining reddish yellow with dark spots on the femora. The fore and middle femora are thickened, most strongly in males, and all femora exhibit black bristles on the upper surface and a covering of white hairs below. The tarsi become black towards the claws. The abdomen is reddish and pubescent, with the middle segments having a darkened hind border. The male genitalia is prominent, reddish yellow with long, dark hairs. The female ovipositor is red. ''Tapeigaster annulipes'' is associated with several species of fungus, including ''

Agaricus campestris ''Agaricus campestris'' is a widely eaten gilled mushroom closely related to the cultivated button mushroom ''Agaricus bisporus''. It is commonly known as the field mushroom or, in North America, meadow mushroom. Taxonomy This species was orig ...

'' and ''

Omphalotus nidiformis ''Omphalotus nidiformis'', or ghost fungus, is a gilled basidiomycete mushroom most notable for its bioluminescent properties. It is known to be found primarily in southern Australia and Tasmania, but was reported from India in 2012 and 2018. T ...

''.

Taxonomy and history

French entomologist

Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart (8 April 1778 – 25 November 1855) was a French entomologist specialising in the study of Diptera. He worked on world species as well as European and described many new species. Biography Early years Macquart was ...

first described this species in 1847 as the type and sole species of the genus ''Tapeigaster''. Francis Walker then described it as ''Dryomyza cingulipes'' in 1858 based on a specimen from New South Wales.

Mario Bezzi Mario Bezzi (1 August 1868, in Milan – 14 January 1927, in Turin) was an Italian professor of zoology at the University of Turin. He was also director of the Turin Museum of Natural History (Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali (Regional Museum of ...

synonymised the two under Macquart's original name of ''Tapeigaster annulipes'' in 1923.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14601319 Heleomyzidae Insects of Australia Diptera of Australasia Insects described in 1847 Taxa named by Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart