Bird Of Paradise Fly: Callipappus farinosus

Male Bird Of Paradise Fly

Male Bird Of Paradise Fly

Many Male Bird Of Paradise Flies mating with a female.

Location: Bunbury

Season:  May/Autumn

Class: Insecta 

Order: Hemiptera 

Suborder: Sternorrhyncha 

Superfamily: Coccoidea 

Family: Callipappidae

Callipappus farinosus

A group of these Bird Of Paradise Flies were found in a bushland with predominantly Tuart and Banksia trees in a suburban bike route called Tuart Forest Walk in Bunbury. These 'flies' are not real flies (not Diptera) but they belong to the soft mealy bug/scale insect family. They were initially classified into the family Margarodidae (Ground Pearls) but later placed under Callipappidae.

The very distinct looking male has one pair of milky white wings with a dark reddish purple margin. It has a comet like fibrous tail (like most mealy bugs). It has a whitish powdery substance covering its body. It is rather a pretty looking insect. The female, however, is larger than the male and has a flat segmented body. She is wingless and hence flightless, she ambulates with her short (3 pairs) of legs. In spite of being winged, the group of males did not fly during the time I observed them. Some of them were attached to the female body trying to mate, while others were walking away from her. 

From my references, I gather that after mating, the female develops the eggs in her body and hatches the nymphs. Soon after she dies. The nymphs develop underground and emerge as adults. Adults feed on the sap of Banksia and similar trees.

Reference:

Brisbane Insects

Wikipedia