Badisis

Badisis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Micropezidae
Subfamily: Eurybatinae
Genus: Badisis
McAlpine, 1990
Species:
B. ambulans
Binomial name
Badisis ambulans
McAlpine, 1990
Global range of Albany pitcher plant: maximum range of Badisis ambulans

Badisis is a stilt-legged fly genus with only one known species, Badisis ambulans. This is a wingless, haltere-less fly with an ant-like appearance. It is only found in the Southwest Australian bioregion of Western Australia. Dependent on the rare Albany pitcher plant (Cephalotus follicularis) for its development, this fly is also a rare species.[1]

Despite its many apomorphic features, the details of its morphology suggest a close relationship to the diverse genus Metopochetus, which is also in the tribe Metopochetini. The fossil stilt-legged fly Electrobata tertiaria from Baltic amber of the Paleogene also shows some similarities; it may be a very basal member of the Metopochetini, close to the divergence between these and the Eurybatinae.[1]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference mcalpine1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).