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 advance ...

: Ephydroidea) 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. A ...

'' 52 (1): 145-165. or terrible hairy fly, which is found in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. The fly was first described by English entomologist Ernest Edward Austen, 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 flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). 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 birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

guano Guano (Spanish from ) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertiliser due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a le ...

. 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 is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

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 migration and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic variation, genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent ...

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 (zoology), superfamily of the Calyptratae. The flies in this superfamily are blood-feeding obligate parasites of their hosts. Four family (biology), families are often placed here: *Glossinidae - Tsetse fly, Tsets ...

, still later work suggested it belonged instead to the Carnoidea, but work in 2011 suggested that its true affiliation is to Ephydroidea.

References

External links

* Environment of Kenya Ephydroidea genera Monotypic Brachycera genera Diptera of Africa Ephydroidea {{Ephydroidea-stub