Metallic-faced Rutilia Fly
S2, Female, profile
Ellura
Metallic-faced Rutilia Fly
S2, Female, anterior
 
                 
Metallic-faced Rutilia Fly (Rutilia simplex)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Flies (Diptera)
Family: Bristle Fly (Tachinidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Metallic-faced Rutilia Fly (Rutilia simplex)
This Photo:     🔍S1, Female, anterior🔎

Thank you James Lumbers for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
A very large fly at ~19 to ~20mm body & head length.
These are pretty rare. S2 was found just 3 weeks shy of 10 years since we saw our first one.
Notice the different colours. One is quite green and the other more blue. It's possible it's the different camera technology, but also quite possible this is an indication of how colour is not a diagnostic feature with these.
James said "As far the current taxonomy goes, this is absolutely R. simplex. There are no other Rutilia (in Australia) with extensively metallic parafrontals (extending into the parafacial region)."

Copyright © 2015-2025 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 28-Feb-2015
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.