| Badisis | |
|---|---|
Scientific 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]