Chaetocoelopa littoralis

Chaetocoelopa littoralis, commonly known as the hairy kelp fly, is a fly of the family Coelopidae.[2] It is endemic to New Zealand and is widely distributed around the coastline, including offshore islands. These flies are black in appearance and show large variation in size, with males tending to be larger and more robust and 'hairy' than females.

Chaetocoelopa littoralis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Coelopidae
Subfamily: Coelopinae
Tribe: Glumini
Genus: Chaetocoelopa
Species:
C. littoralis
Binomial name
Chaetocoelopa littoralis
(Hutton, 1881)[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Coelopa littoralis Hutton, 1881
  • Coelopa monstruosa Hutton, 1901
  • Chaetocoelopa huttoni Harrison, 1959

Description

C. littoralis is a small fly with long hairy legs, and a body length of approximately 7 mm. The fly is able to walk on the surface of water, and can survive and recover from inundation by waves.[3] Hutton originally described this species as follows:

Grey. A broad band on the head, stretching up on each side of the ocelli. Antennsa, palpi, proboscis, and legs reddish-brown. Legs and abdomen with long black hairs ; thorax with short black hairs. Wings hyaline, with brown veins.[4]

Taxonomy

This specie was first described by F. W. Hutton in 1881 and named Coelopa littoralis.[4] In 1901 Hutton, thinking he was describing a new species, again named this species Coelopa monstruosa.[5] In 1933 John R. Malloch placed this species within the genus Chaetocoelopa.[6] The male lectotype specimen is held at the Canterbury Museum.[7]

Distribution

C. littoralis is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout New Zealand's coast, including offshore islands.[1][8] A study of coastal Diptera species at 109 locations distributed around the New Zealand coastline found C. littoralis at 41% of the sites.[9]

Habitat and hosts

Like other species in the family Coelopidae, C. littoralis inhabit beds of decaying seaweed and kelp (wrack) washed up on the coast, and can form large aggregations.[10][11]

The larvae of C. littoralis play an important role in assisting decomposition of rotting seaweed on the shoreline. C. littoralis is found in beds of decaying seaweed and kelp (wrack) washed up on the coast, and can also be observed resting on surfaces including cliff faces and driftwood in large aggregations.[8] The adults and larvae of C. littoralis are a significant food source for shore birds such as the New Zealand dotterel (Charadrius obscurus) and the New Zealand pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae).[3]

Life cycle

Studies of the mating behaviour of C. littoralis have shown that in common with other Coelopids, larger males have greater mating success, because they are more able to overcome the common resistance behaviours of the female.[12][13] Adult flies mate within the wrack beds, and females lay their eggs onto the wrack. Their larvae feed on the decaying algae and its associated microorganisms,[11] and go through three developmental stages (or instar) before pupating on sand further up the beach.[3]

  • Chaetocoelopa littoralis

References
  1. "Chaetocoelopa littoralis (Hutton, 1881)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  2. "Chaetocoelopa littoralis (Hutton, 1881)". www.gbif.org. GBIF Secretariat. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  3. Bendle, Phil. "Fly (Hairy Kelp fly) Chaetocoelopa littoralis". CitScihub. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  4. Hutton, F. W. (1881). Catalogues of the New Zealand Diptera, Orthoptera, Hyme-noptera; with descriptions of the species. Wellington: Colonial Museum and Geological Survey of New Zealand. pp. X+132. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  5. Hutton, Frederick Wollaston (1901). "Synopsis of the Diptera Brachycera of New Zealand". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 33: 1–95. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  6. Malloch, John R. (March 1933). "XLIII.—The genus Cœlopa Meigen (Diptera, Cœlopidæ)". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 11 (63): 339–350. doi:10.1080/00222933308673666.
  7. Mathis, Wayne Neilsen; McAlpine, David K. (2011). "A catalog and conspectus on the family Coelopidae (Diptera: Schizophora)" (PDF). Myia. 12: 171–205.
  8. "Hairy Kelp Fly observations". iNaturalistNZ. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  9. LeGrice, Rebecca J.; Ward, Darren F.; Holwell, Gregory I. (2022). "Coastal Diptera species and communities and their geographic distribution in Aotearoa New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 49 (4): 335–354. doi:10.1080/03014223.2021.2017304. S2CID 246590624. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  10. Crowe, Andrew (2002). Which New Zealand Insect?. Auckland, New Zealand: Penguin Books. p. 65. ISBN 978-0141006369.
  11. Mcalpine, David K. (1991). "Review of the Australian kelp flies Diptera: Coelopidae". Systematic Entomology. 16 (1): 29–84. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.1991.tb00573.x. ISSN 1365-3113. S2CID 83627067.
  12. LeGrice, R.J.; Holwell, G.I. (2022). "Size variation, allometry and mating success in Aotearoa New Zealand kelp flies (Coelopidae)". Evol Ecol. 36 (4): 683–700. doi:10.1007/s10682-022-10159-8. S2CID 247116527.
  13. Newman, D.P. (January 2013). Sex on the beach: ecology, sexual conflict and evolution in New Zealand seaweed flies (Masters). University of Auckland. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
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