''Kaurimyia'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

of fly belonging to the family

Apsilocephalidae Apsilocephalidae is a family of fly, flies in the superfamily (zoology), superfamily Asiloidea. It was historically treated as a subfamily within Therevidae, but placed in a separate family in 1991, and subsequently recognized as more distantly re ...

. The sole species found in this genus is ''Kaurimyia thorpei''. Both the genus and species were first described by Shaun L. Winterton and Michael Edward Irwin in 2008. ''Kaurimyia thorpei'' is endemic to New Zealand.

Taxonomy

The genus and species were both identified by Shaun L. Winterton and Michael Edward Irwin in 2008, based on a holotype collected by Stephen E. Thorpe from Te Piringa / Cascade Kauri in the

Waitākere Ranges The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in West Auckland, New Zealand, West Auckland between metropolitan Auckland and the Tasman Sea, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. ...

west of

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand. Winterton and Irwin named the genus after

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside '' Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...

forests, where the type species ''K. thorpei'' was found, and decided to name the species epithet after Thorpe.

Description

The species has a dark coloured body, with frons wider than its ocellar tubercle, something seen in both males and females.

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to New Zealand. Only two specimens have been found: one in the

of the

Auckland Region Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...

on the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

, and the other near

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in the

Otago Region Otago (, ; ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government region. Its po ...

of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

References

{{Authority control Insects described in 2008 Endemic insects of New Zealand Monotypic insect genera Asiloidea Asiloidea genera Diptera of New Zealand