Christii fly
| Christii fly | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Scatopsidae |
| Genus: | Ectaetia |
| Species: | E. christii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ectaetia christii Rotheray & Horsfield, 1997
| |
The Christii fly (Ectaetia christii) is a species of fly named after the late Iain Christie, a farmer and amateur entomologist from Dunbartonshire. It measures 2 mm (1⁄12 in) long and is black in colour.[1] Christii flies live under the bark of smaller branches or twigs of dead aspen trees.[2]
Discovery
[edit]Iain Christie originally discovered the Christii fly with several others in the late 1980s, but the fly was not recognised as a new species until 1997, during a survey of the flora and fauna of the Cairngorms.[3] The research was conducted for the book The Nature Of The Cairngorms, which includes 223 species mainly found there and 1,153 further species for which the Cairngorms are nationally noted.[1] Graham Rotheray of the Museum of Scotland and Dave Horsfield of Scottish Natural Heritage found the Christii fly under the bark of a decaying aspen tree near Grantown-on-Spey.[4] Since then, it has been found in Norway and two or three more times in the Cairngorms.[1]
Rotheray described the Christii fly as "a superb example of a boreal species which has lain undiscovered in Scotland for thousands of years" and "a specialist species which adapted and probably came north with the retreat of the ice".[4] He also believed the fly to be a relict from the ice age.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Ross, John (2006-06-13). "Welcome on the hillside for new fly". The Scotsman.
- ^ "New species discovered in the Cairngorms". The Scotsman. 2006-06-12.
- ^ Kemp, Tina (2006-06-23). "Family's pride as new fly is named after Iain". The Lennox.
- ^ a b "New mountain species discovered". BBC News. 2006-06-12.
- ^ Smith, Lewis (2006-06-13). "Ice Age fly discovered alive and well in Scotland". The Times. London. Archived from the original on February 20, 2007.
External links
[edit]- Fauna Europaea – Taxon details
- Scottish Natural Heritage – Launch of The Nature of the Cairngorms