Dr Keith Bayless 'The wonder of tiny dark flies'

Keith, a research scientist at CSIRO, says flies are one of the most diverse insect orders, yet poorly known in their species richness and evolution. He will describe innovations in the field and lab for understanding how, when, and why small dark coloured flies diversified spectacularly.

Abstract
Flies are one of the most diverse insect orders, and the family-level diversity is centred in acalyptrates. The ecological diversity of acalyptrate flies is incredible, with bizarrely specialised parasites and saprophages to devastating agricultural plant pests. These life histories evolved many times independently, from beaches to mountain-tops. Their anatomical diversity is similarly vast, ranging from gangly stilt-legged flies to tiny spherical wingless flies (i.e. walks). Their physical adaptations can be correlated with their life history, for instance mantis-like grabbing legs on predators, or elaborate egg-laying structures on parasites. Some of the most striking Australian flies are poorly known in terms of their species richness and evolution. This is particularly prevalent for small, dark coloured flies with specialised niches. Innovations in the field and lab are streamlining our approaches for understanding how, when, and why this group of insects diversified spectacularly.

Biography
Dr. Keith Bayless is a research scientist at the Australian National Insect Collection studying the evolutionary biology of flies. His research incorporates genomics, systematics, field ecology, and behaviour. See https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-05/meet-the-amazing-fly-hunter/102193972

Booking Link: https://www.trybooking.com/CQGMN  

Booking
Lunchtime talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. Talks last for 1 hour. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations received at each talk to support Gardens’ programs and development and we thank all those who have donated. 

Unless otherwise indicated, talks are held in the ANBG Theatrette.

It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; talks may be booked out very quickly.  Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. 

Booking Link: https://www.trybooking.com/CQGMN

The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Many summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au.