Chequered-margin Bee Fly
S4, dorsal
Riverland
Chequered-margin Bee Fly
S2, Emarginate Eye
 
                      
Chequered-margin Bee Fly (Oncodosia patula)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Flies (Diptera)
Family: Bee Fly (Bombyliidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Chequered-margin Bee Fly (Oncodosia patula)
This Photo:     S4, profile

Thank you Dr Chris Lambkin for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found in the Riverland and possibly elsewhere
A big fly at ~15mm long (male & female).
Striped, wide bodied with pale wing tips normally associated with Comptosia sp.
We managed to capture a couple of these on a one week project in the Riverland.
They had slight differences, but it's clear the hair on the body wears easily. You can see the "Chequered-margin" (hairs around the abdomen), as well as an abdominal stripe in specimen one, but not specimen 2. However, on S1 they are worn on one side, but clear on the other.
When investigating gender differences Chris said "Males have closer eyes.
Eye separation: male about 1.5x maximum diameter of median ocellus; female about 2x distance between lateral ocelli. (ie male closer).
Wings: length: male 15.0--21.5 mm, female 15.0--20 .5 mm; (ie female a tiny bit smaller)"

Copyright © 2019-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 21-Oct-2019
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.