A FLY named after a comic book antihero is probably living near Bendigo but scientists want your help to find it.
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Experts at the CSIRO have named 165 new species, two of which are named after Marvel superheroes and likely lives in central Victoria.
We just need to find more evidence that it flies among us.
More news:
The Deadpool fly has already been found in forests stretching from Tasmania to Queensland.
One cluster has been found near Seymour, a town outside of central Victoria but along the same latitude, making it all the more likely citizen scientists patrolling the region's forest will find it, CSIRO scientist Isabella Robinson said.
"We get clusters where Deadpool flies have been collected or photographed, so it is worth keeping an eye out for them in your area," she said.
"With help of citizen scientists we could expand what we know about their range."
The Deadpool fly was named after the foul-mouthed Marvel anti-hero because of its distinctive colouring and markings.
And just like its namesake, the native Australian fly is a fearless killer.
"It is an ambush predator. They are amazingly agile. They wait until something flies by and catch it on the wing," Ms Robinson said.
"They inject a neuro-toxin to kill it instantly."
Ms Robinson said scientists have known about Deadpool flies for some time but had mistakenly classified it as part of a different group of insect species.
"As more species have been added to the genus the fly originally belonged to it has become more obvious it was the odd one out," she said.
"The Deadpool fly has enough unique characteristics that it can be placed in a genus of its own."
The Deadpool fly is not the only newly named insect that probably makes a buzz in central Victoria's forests, Ms Robinson said.
Scientists also named the Loki fly after a Marvel character.
Ms Robinson said there Loki fly specimens dating back to 1936 but are very rare.
"There have not been any specimens collected in my lifetime," she said.
"The ones we do have have been sitting in collections waiting for people to describe them."
The Loki fly also ambushes its prey.
"They (Loki and Deadpool flies) are top predators in their environments," Ms Robinson said.
Other newly named species not native to central Victoria include the Thor fly and the Black Widow fly. Another species has been named the Stan Lee fly in honour of the Marvel universe creator.
CSIRO scientists have also just named eight new plants, two new fish, three subspecies of birds and a mite that lives on the back of lizards.
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