120 Years in 120 Objects
Join the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in celebrating the museum’s 120th year of orbiting the sun. Staff and guest curators have chosen one object or item per year of our existence to highlight to the public. Visit the website and our social media platforms regularly to see the latest object and keep an eye out for information about a physical exhibition later this year!
Today’s Object is from 1956
The Fly that can’t fly by Siyabonga Zamisa, Research Technician: Databases
In 2023, researchers from the KZN Museum and the National Museum, Bloemfontein created a bit of a flutter when they described a fly that could not fly! The incredible creature was found in Lesotho by Dr John Midgley (KZN Museum) and Mr Burgert Muller (Nat. Museum). While it has small wings, they are nowhere near large enough to keep the fly airborne. After careful examination, the scientists determined that it was the female of a known species, Atherimorpha latipennis. Ironically, latipennis means “broad wings” as the male of the species has large wings. The original specimens of the male are in the KwaZulu-Natal Museum and were collected in 1956.
The broad wings in the male and small wings in the female are both likely to be because of the high elevation at which this insect occurs. The strong winds make flying risky, so the females probably didn’t fly much to remain near good habitats for their larvae. Eventually this evolved into flightlessness. Males on the other hand are driven to find more mates and thus need to fly around, promoting genetic diversity, but with the thin atmosphere in the mountains, they need wider wings to fly effectively.
Male of A. latipennis collected in 1956 (Photograph: Courtesy of John Midgley and Burgert Muller)
Flightless Female (Photograph: Courtesy of John Midgley and Burgert Muller)
Reduced wing of a female (Photograph: Courtesy of John Midgley and Burgert Muller)
