Diasemopsis meigenii (Westwood, 1837)

Just because the subject of the post is one of the world's little bizarrities, it doesn't mean that you get away without any pre-amble.

I've mentioned elsewhere how the bulk of the diversity of life on earth is beetles... this is a slightly misleading statement. We have no idea how many species exist on earth, and until such time as life is extinct, or we can freeze time, the number changes as species diverge, and others become extinct (currently the trend is towards extinction, but that's another, much more depressing subject).

Because of this uncertainty, estimates of how many species exist worldwide are variable, and typically based on currently known species transformed by ongoing discovery rates. Of all the insects, the true flies (Diptera) are the closest rival of beetles (Coleoptera) for the title of most diverse group, but with description rates for species in both groups showing no signs of slowing down any time soon, it has occasionally been suggested that they may eventually overtake Coleoptera and take its title.

But that's probably a little radical.


So, straight into the taxonomy.

As a true fly, today's guest star is of course a member of
Eukaryota
  Animalia
    Eumetazoa
      Bilateralia
        Nephrozoa
          Protostomia
            Ecdysozoa
              Arthropoda
                Hexapoda
                  Insecta
                    Dicondylia
                      Pterygota
                        Manopterygota
                          Neoptera
                            Eumetabola
                              Endopterygota
                                Panorpida
                                  Antliophora
                                and Diptera, the afore-mentioned true flies. 

From here, we jump into 
                                         Brachycera
                                           Muscomorpha
                                             Schizophora
                                               Acalyptratae
                                                 Diopsoidea
                                                   Diopsidae, the stalk-eyed flies...
                                                     Diopsinae

Diasemopsis meigenii

(Westwood, 1837)

and, just to prove that sci-fi films haven't come up with anything that holds a candle to what the earth comes up with, here it is:

As much as it looks like a monster from Pitch Black, it's actually quite an innocuous little thing, this one seen rushing around on water plants, half-heartedly pursuing other members of its species... 

It's widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, and, I'm told, into parts of the Arabian Peninsula. 

Oh, and another angle... 

Identified by users on Diptera.info.