Scaptia beyonceae

Description

Scaptia beyonceae has a striking golden tip to its abdomen, formed by a dense patch of golden hairs, providing the inspiration for its name. Part of the Plinthina subgenus, S. beyonceae was first collected in 1981, along with two other previously unknown subgenus specimens; the fly was officially described in 2011 by CSIRO research scientist Bryan Lessard. According to Lessard, although usually considered by humans to be pests, many types of horse fly serve an important role in the pollination of plants. The flies drink nectar from several types of grevilleas, tea trees and eucalypts.

Other than the 1981 specimen, the fly has only been collected on two other occasions. All three collected specimens are female.

Naming

The naming of animal species is required to comply with guidelines established by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). The ICZN's guidelines allow for species to receive names that honour people, including celebrities.

According to Bryan Lessard, the researcher from the Australian National Insect Collection, who was responsible for naming the fly, "It was the unique dense golden hairs on the fly’s abdomen that led me to name this fly in honour of the legendary singer, performer and actress Beyoncé as well as giving me the chance to demonstrate the fun side of taxonomy – the naming of species."

References

References

1. Lessard, Bryan. (2011). "New species of the Australian horse fly subgenus ''Scaptia (Plinthina)'' Walker 1850 (Diptera: Tabanidae), including species descriptions and a revised key". [[Australian Journal of Entomology]].
2. (13 January 2012). "Fly named after Beyonce because of bum". [[Fairfax Media]].
3. Atherton, Ben. (13 January 2012). "CSIRO unveils bootylicious Beyonce fly". [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]].
4. Draggan, Sidney. (13 January 2012). "''Scaptia beyonceae'': new species of fly". Encyclopedia of Earth.
5. (13 January 2012). "New species of fly named in honour of performer Beyoncé". CSIRO.
6. Jackson, Morgan D.. (13 January 2012). "Irreplaceable fly described from Australia". Biodiversity in Focus.
7. Nelson, Sarah C.. (13 January 2012). "Beyonce fly ''Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae'' is as bootylicious as the singer". The Huffington Post.
8. Pearlman, Jonathan. (14 January 2012). "The Beyonce fly: Researchers name insect with golden behind after singer". The Telegraph.
9. Morgan, Huw. (13 January 2012). "A golden tail of Beyoncé's bootylicious fly". Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).