Campsicnemus popeye

Last updated

Campsicnemus popeye
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Dolichopodidae
Genus: Campsicnemus
Species:
C. popeye
Binomial name
Campsicnemus popeye
Evenhuis, 2013

Campsicnemus popeye is a species of carnivorous fly described in 2013. It was discovered from the Society Islands in French Polynesia. The species is named after the famous cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man because of the enlarged tibia (which are like the bulging forearms of Popeye). [1] The species is in fact among a group of six new species described as "Popeye flies". The specimen was collected in 2006 during an expedition to Tahiti. [2]

Contents

Discovery and etymology

Campsicnemus popeye was discovered as a part of Terrestrial Arthropods of French Polynesia Survey funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. The survey covered the Society Islands of French Polynesia during 2004 and 2007, and the survey successfully discovered dozens of new species. The survey team was led by Neal L. Evenhuis, former president of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature and a Senior Research Entomologist at the Bishop Museum in Hawaii. The formal description was published on 3 August 2013 in the journal Zootaxa . Evenhuis, known for his eccentric style of giving binomial names, gave the specific name C. popeye because the swollen mid-tibia (middle legs) of the fly somewhat resemble the bulging forearms of the well-known cartoon hero Popeye the Sailor Man [3]

Description

Adult Campsicnemus popeye has a body length between 3 and 3.2 mm, and wing length of 3.1 to 3.6 mm. Its head is black in colour with dark-brown toward the front face. It has a pair of antennae and a pair of compound eyes, which are distinctively red. The antennal segments are a mixture of black and yellow patterns. The main body (thorax) is yellow, while its setae are black. The mid-tibia is particularly enlarged towards the apical region, somewhat like the swollen forearms of Popeye. The wing membrane is uniformly pale-smoky coloured. The abdominal segments (tergites) are largely brown, with yellow stripes on the sites of tergites II and IV. Each tergite has numerous short black hairs on the dorsal side, and few long hairs on the side. The main difference of a female from a male is absence of large spiny setae on the legs, and the swollen legs. [3]

Biology

Male Campsicnemus popeye use their enlarged tibiae for attracting females. It was humorously reported that the fly does not like spinach, in contrast to its namesake, and is in fact strictly carnivorous. However, much like Popeye trying to woo Olive Oyl, the male fly flexes its muscular legs during courtship rituals to impress the potential mate. They are found to congregate around bodies of water. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-tailed skimmer</span> Species of dragonfly

The black-tailed skimmer is a dragonfly belonging to the family Libellulidae.

<i>Helophilus pendulus</i> Species of fly

Helophilus pendulus is a European hoverfly. Its scientific name means "dangling marsh-lover". It is a very common species in Britain, where it is the commonest Helophilus species. It is found throughout Europe from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, westward to the Faroe Islands and Iceland, and through eastward through Russia from the Kola Peninsula south to Crimea and across Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nipponopsalididae</span> Family of harvestmen/daddy longlegs

Nipponopsalididae is a family of harvestmen with three described species in one genus, Nipponopsalis, which is found in East Asia.

<i>Philhelius pedissequus</i> Species of fly

Philhelius pedissequus is a species of hoverfly. Prior to 2018, it was known under the genus name Xanthogramma, a junior synonym.

<i>Platycheirus immarginatus</i> Species of fly

Platycheirus immarginatus, the Comb-legged Sedgesitter, is a common species of hoverfly. It is found in parts of northern Europe and northern North America.

Carmenelectra is an extinct genus of fly belonging to the family Mythicomyiidae and containing a single species Carmenelectra shechisme.

Neal Luit Evenhuis is an American entomologist. He works at the Bishop Museum in Hawaii. Evenhuis has described over 500 species of insects since 1976, and is known both for his research and peculiar binomial names.

<i>Philhelius citrofasciatus</i> Species of fly

Philhelius citrofasciatus is a species of hoverfly found in grasslands from Ireland to western Siberia. The larvae live in Lasius ant colonies where they feed on the aphids tended by the ants. Prior to 2018, it was known under the genus name Xanthogramma, a junior synonym.

<i>Pseudicius athleta</i> Species of spider

Pseudicius athleta is a species of jumping spider in the genus Pseudicius that is found in Kenya and Uganda. The spider was first defined in 2011 by Wanda Wesołowska. It lives communally, in individual nests which may contain either male or female spiders, which engage in complex courtship rituals. The spider is small, with an elongated cephalothorax between 1.8 and 2.2 mm long and an abdomen between 2.2 and 2.8 mm long. The carapace is dark brown with a black eye field but the abdomen has a pattern that differs between the male, which is marked by a brownish-fawn streak, and the female, which has a complex pattern consisting of a herring-bone pattern on the top, diagonal patches on the edge and two small round white spots on the bottom. Pseudicius athleta can be differentiated from other species in the genus by its copulatory organs. The male has a long thin embolus and characteristic tibial apophysis, which has three prongs. The female has narrow tube-like spermathecae. However, it is the swollen first leg, which is reminiscent of the large muscle of an athlete, as reflected in the species name, that most easily identifies the species.

<i>Bezzia nobilis</i> Species of fly

Bezzia nobilis is a species of biting midges in the family Ceratopogonidae. It is widely considered one of the most common Bezzia species; it is found in Eurasian regions, all over the United States, Central America, and even into South American countries like Brazil. B. nobilis seem to prefer aquatic environments; they are commonly observed in stagnant water pools in Eurasia regions and marshes in the southern United States. Adults of this species are easily distinguished by their black and yellow striped legs. Pupae are recognized by their brown bodies, abdominal spines, and respiratory horns. B. nobilis larvae are distinguished by brown heads and white bodies. Little information is known on their life cycle or mating habits. B. nobilis is a predatory species. While some research suggests they mainly feed on larvae of other insect species, experiments suggest they prefer immobile, easy prey such as dead adult flies, bacteria, and protozoa.

Platycheirus confusus, the Confusing Sedgesitter, is a species of syrphid fly in the family Syrphidae.

<i>Dioctria bicincta</i> Species of fly

Dioctria bicincta is a species of robber fly classified in the subfamily Dasypogoninae of the family Asilidae.

<i>Euchariomyia</i> Species of fly

Euchariomyia is a monotypic genus of the subfamily Bombyliinae. The only species is Euchariomyia dives.

Sphegina (Asiosphegina) achaeta is a species of hoverfly in the family Syrphidae found in Myanmar. It's easily identified by the weak setae on abdominal tergite I. It's similar in appearance to S. adusta but easily differentiated upon closer examination. The male genitalia are similar to S. pollex and S. culex, though it can be distinguished by having an acute posterodorsal corner of the superior lobe and a broader surstylus; it differs further from S. pollex by lacking a sub-basal dorsal thumb-like lobe. The arrangement of bristles on tergite I is similar to S. japonica.

Sphegina (Asiosphegina) adusta is a species of hoverfly in the family Syrphidae found in Myanmar. It's easily identified by its large size, left side surstylus with a number of unusual lobes, and general dark-brown coloration. It's similar to S. atricolor and S. furva, but unlike these species it lacks a transverse crest at the base of the lobe located sinistrolaterally at the posterior margin of male sternite IV.

Sphegina cultrigera is a species of hoverfly in the family Syrphidae found in Kambaiti Pass, Myanmar, a montane forest with swampy areas and streams located 2000 meters above sea level.

<i>Brachyopa caesariata</i> Species of fly

Brachyopa caesariata, the Plain-winged Sapeater, is an uncommon species of syrphid fly. It has been observed in Canada, Alaska and northern United States. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found around and on flowers, from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. Larvae for this genus are of the rat-tailed type. B.caesariata larvae have not been described.

Dirioxa pornia, commonly known as the island fly, is a species of fruit fly native to Australia.

<i>Pygophora apicalis</i> Species of fly in family Muscidae

Pygophora apicalis is a species of fly in the family Muscidae and subfamily Coenosiinae. It is native to Australia and has been introduced to New Zealand.

References

  1. "New Fly Species Named After Popeye". TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  2. 1 2 Brad Balukjian (9 August 2013). "New Popeye fly species discovered in Tahiti". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 Evenhuis, Neal L. (2013). "The Campsicnemus popeye species group (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from French Polynesia" (PDF). Zootaxa . Auckland, New Zealand: Magnolia Press. 3694 (3): 271–279. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3694.3.7 . ISSN   1175-5334. PMID   26312289 . Retrieved 7 July 2015.