The family Mormotomyiidae (

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

Ephydroidea The Ephydroidea are a superfamily of muscomorph flies, with over 6,000 species. Description A characteristic of adult Ephydroidea (shared with their relatives such as Calyptratae) is that the pedicel of the antenna has a dorsoventral seam or ...

) contains only one known species, ''Mormotomyia hirsuta'', commonly known as the frightful hairy flyKirk-Spriggs, A.H., Kotrba, M. & Copeland, R.S. 2011. Further details of the morphology of the enigmatic African fly ''Mormotomyia hirsuta'' Austen (Diptera: Mormotomyiidae). ''

African Invertebrates ''African Invertebrates'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal that covers the taxonomy, systematics, biogeography, ecology, conservation, and palaeontology of Afrotropical invertebrates, whether terrestrial, freshwater, or marine. I ...

'' 52 (1): 145-16

/ref> or terrible hairy fly, which is found in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. The fly was first described by English entomologist

Ernest Edward Austen Ernest Edward Austen DSO (1867 in London – 16 January 1938) was an English entomologist specialising in Diptera and Hymenoptera. His collection of Amazonian and Sierra Leonian insects is in the Natural History Museum, London. He wrote ...

, and specimens have been collected from one location on a mountain in the Ukasi Hill (Okazzi Hills), in a cleft where a bat roost is located; this may possibly be the most restricted geographic distribution for any fly family. The larvae have been collected from

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

. Adult flies are believed to feed on bodily secretions of bats. The fly measures about 1 cm long, with hairy legs, and, due to its nonfunctional wings and tiny eyes, looks more like a spider than a fly. Specimens have been collected only three times, in 1933, 1948, and 2010. Tested members of the

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

showed higher levels of genetic variation than would be expected for such a restricted range, suggesting that additional undiscovered populations exist with

gene flow In population genetics, gene flow (also known as gene migration or geneflow and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent a ...

occurring between them and the known population in Ukasi Hill.Copeland, R.S., Kirk-Spriggs, A.H., Muteti, S., Booth, W. & Wiegmann, B.M. 2011. Rediscovery of the "terrible hairy fly", ''Mormotomyia hirsuta'' Austen (Diptera: Mormotomyiidae), in eastern Kenya, with notes on biology, natural history, and genetic variation of the Ukasi Hill population. ''

'' 52 (2): 363-390.

Taxonomy

While the fly was originally thought to belong in the superfamily Sphaeroceroidea, later authorities placed it in

Hippoboscoidea Hippoboscoidea is a superfamily of the Calyptratae. The flies in this superfamily are blood-feeding obligate parasites of their hosts. Four families are often placed here: * Glossinidae - Tsetse flies *Hippoboscidae - Ked flies *Nycteribiidae - B ...

, still later work suggested it belonged instead to the

Carnoidea Carnoidea is a superfamily of Acalyptratae flies. Description In general, carnoids are small flies no more than a few millimetres long. Carnoidea is a poorly defined superfamily. In 1989, ten synapomorphies were described for the group, but ...

, but work in 2011 suggested that its true affiliation is to

References

External links

Environment of Kenya Brachycera families Monogeneric Diptera families Diptera of Africa {{Ephydroidea-stub