22/150: Stalk-eyed flies, where hypercephaly is sexy!

Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Diptera: Diopsidae: Sphyracephala: Sphyracephala subbifasciata (Fitch, 1855)

Sphyracephala subbifasciata is one of two species found in Canada from the family Diopsidae (Diptera). Their common name, stalk-eyed flies, comes from the presence of their eyes at the end of an elongated stalk, giving them the look of a drastically long hammerhead. This feature is a lot more pronounced in their counter part from the Old World (especially Africa and Southeast Asia) than in the species found in North America. Interestingly, none are present in the Neotropical region or in Australia. In some species, female prefer males with the longest stalks, which has driven this trait through natural selection to be so extreme. The males will utilize their broad-head in ritualized male – male battles, called lekking, in order to gain possession of mating sites. #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

You can see in this video how they expand their eyes stalk after hatching from their pupa:

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID:  CNGBA1172-13

nucleotide sequence

AACTTTATATTTCATATTCGGNGCATGAGCCGGAATAGTAGGTACATCTTTAAGAATTCTTATTCGAGCTGAACTAGGTCATCCTGGAGCTTTAATTGGAGATGATCAAATTTATAATGTTATTGTTACAGCCCATGCTTTTATTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTAATACCTATTATAATTGGAGGATTCGGAAATTGATTAGTTCCTTTAATATTAGGAGCACCAGATATAGCTTTTCCTCGAATAAATAATATAAGTTTCTGATTACTACCTCCTTCTTTAACATTATTATTAGTTAGAAGAATAGTAGAAAATGGAGCTGGAACTGGATGAACTGTTTATCCTCCTTTATCTTCTGTAATTGCTCATGGAGGAGCTTCAGTAGATTTAGCTATTTTTTCTTTACATTTAGCAGGGATTTCTTCAATTTTAGGAGCAGTAAATTTTATTACTACAGTAATTAATATACGATCTTCTGGAATTACATTTGACCGAATACCTTTATTTGTTTGATCAGTTGTAATTACAGCATTATTACTTCTGTTATCATTACCAGTTTTAGCTGGAGCAATTACTATATTATTAACAGATCGAAACTTAAACACTTCTTTTTTTGACC—————————————–

amino acid sequence

TLYFMFXAWAGMVGTSLSILIRAELGHPGALIGDDQIYNVIVTAHAFIMIFFMVMPIMIGGFGNWLVPLMLGAPDMAFPRMNNMSFWLLPPSLTLLLVSSMVENGAGTGWTVYPPLSSVIAHGGASVDLAIFSLHLAGISSILGAVNFITTVINMRSSGITFDRMPLFVWSVVITALLLLLSLPVLAGAITMLLTDRNLNTSFFDX————-

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAJ3291

Title Image: Specimen 08TTML-2292 – Puslinch, Ontario – 16-Oct-2008
Photo Credit: CBG Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics