Tag Archives: Dolichopodidae

Campsicnemus charliechaplini Evanhuis

Charlie Chaplin Long-legged Fly (Campsicnemus charliechaplini)

The Charlie Chaplin Long-legged Fly was described in 1996.:

This species is named in honor to the great silent movie comedian, Charlie Chaplin, because of the curious tendency of this fly to die with its midlegs in a bandy-legged position.” [1]

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The species was endemic to the Wai’anae Mountains on the island of O’ahu, Hawai’i Islands, where it inhabited small, quiet pools of freshwater along the edges of the upper reaches of the Halenau stream near the summit of Mt. Ka’ala. It was a water-skating species that fed upon small invertebrates that fell onto the water surface, including carcasses of its own conspecifics.

The Charlie Chaplin Long-legged Fly reached a length of about 0,2 to 0,25 cm, it was more or less completely brown colored, the legs were brown to yellowish brown, its wings were 0,28 to 0,29 cm long. [1]

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The former habitat of the species is now overrun by the introduced weed Maui Pamakani (Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.) King & H. E. Robins), which, despite its trivial name is in no way native to the Hawaiian Islands.

The Charlie Chaplin Long-legged Fly was last seen in 1997, it is almost certainly completely extinct – only one year after its description. [2]

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References:

[1] Neal L. Evenhuis: New species of Campsicnemus from the Waianae Range of Oahu, Hawaii (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 45: 54-58. 1996
[2] Neal L. Evenhuis: Lectotype Designations for Hawaiian Campsicnemus Haliday (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 95. 17-37. 2007

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edited: 03.12.2018

Campsicnemus mirabilis (Grimshaw)

Koolau Spur-winged Long-legged Fly (Campsicnemus mirabilis 

The Koolau Spur-winged Long-legged Fly was described in 1902 based on several specimens that had been collected in 1900. It is one of about nine species of Hawaiian long-legged flies with absent or reduced wings, some of which were placed in a distinct genus, Emperoptera, but were later assigned to the genus Campsicnemus. [2]  

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The Koolau Spur-winged Long-legged Fly was endemic to an area at Mt. Tantalus n the Ko’olau Mountains of O’ahu, where it inhabited leaf litter on the forest floor.  

The species reached a size of only about 0,15 to 0,18 cm, the wings were extremely reduced to merely just the costal vein and bore black seta on their apex. [1]  

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Big-headed Ants (Pheidole megacephala Fabricius), which were accidentally introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the 19th century, are accountable for the extinction of this species, as well as for the extinction of many additional endemic insect species. [1]  

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The only proof for the former existence of this species are three very poorly preserved specimens that are kept in the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Hawai’i’s capital, Honolulu. [1]  

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References:  

[1] Neal L. Evenhuis: Review of flightless Dolichopodidae (Diptera) in the Hawaiian Islands. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 53: 1-29. 1997 
[2] Neal L. Evenhuis: Morphological and molecular evidence support the synonymy of Emperoptera Grimshaw with Campsicnemus Haliday (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Records of the Hawaii Biological Suvery for 2008. Edited by Neal L. Evenhuis & Lucius G. Eldredge. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 108: 35-44. 2010  

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Depiction from: ‘Fauna Hawaiiensis; being the land-fauna of the Hawaiian Islands. by various authors, 1899-1913. Cambridge [Eng.]: The University Press 1913’

(public domain) 

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edited: 02.04.2018

Campsicnemus hawaiiensis Hardy & Delfinado

Hawaiian Spur-winged Long-legged Fly (Campsicnemus hawaiiensis 

The Hawaiian Spur-winged Long-legged Fly was described in 1974, it is known only from the type specimens that had been collected in 1972 and 1973.  

The species reached a body length of about 0,15 cm, the highly reduced wings were spur-like and only about 0,11 cm long.  

The Hawaiian Spur-winged Long-legged Fly inhabited several kipuka [a vegetated ‘island’ on an otherwise barren lava flow] along the Saddle Road on the Mauna Loa lava flows on Big Island, Hawaiian Islands.  

The species was never found since the type collection was made and is very likely extinct, the reasons may be found in the presence of feral pigs, which root in soft earth and disturb the forest floor leaf litter, thus may have had an adverse effect on the populations of this and other insect species. [1]  

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References:  

[1] Neal L. Evenhuis: Review of flightless Dolichopodidae (Diptera) in the Hawaiian Islands. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 53: 1-29. 1997  

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edited: 02.04.2018