CSIRO researchers have paid a backhanded compliment to US pop singer and actress Beyonce - naming a rare horse fly after her in honour of its bootylicious golden behind.

The Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae fly, which is found in far north Queensland, sports a spectacular gold patch on its abdomen which CSIRO insect expert Bryan Lessard says makes it the "all-time diva of flies".

"It was the unique dense golden hairs on the fly’s abdomen that led me to name this fly in honour of the performer Beyonce as well as giving me the chance to demonstrate the fun side of taxonomy – the naming of species," Mr Lessard said in a statement released on the CSIRO blog.

The rare Scaptia plinthina horse fly was collected in 1981 from the Atherton Tablelands, west of Cairns, the year the former Destiny's Child singer was born.

"Most Australian Scaptia species have been described, however these five new species of a sub-group [plinthina] have been housed in Australian collections since the group was last studied in the 1960s," Mr Lessard said.

"Although often considered a pest, many species of horse fly are extremely important pollinators of many plants.

"Horse flies act like hummingbirds during the day, drinking nectar from their favourite varieties of grevillea, tea trees and eucalypts."

Mr Lessard's paper has been published in the Australian Journal of Entomology.

CSIRO says it has contacted Beyonce for a response to the "honour", but is yet to receive a response.

This is not the first time a creepy crawly has been named after a pop star.

The list includes a trapdoor spider named after Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young; a whirligig beetle named in honour of rock 'n' roll pioneer Roy Orbison; and various extinct trilobites named after members of punk band The Ramones.