Meet New Zealand's newest fly species - Scorpiurus aramoana

Monday, 11 June 2018

Scorpiurus aramoana, a new species of long-legged fly discovered at Aramoana, near Dunedin.

The insect world is buzzing after a new fly species was discovered in New Zealand.

Meet Scorpiurus aramoana – a long-legged fly.

The fly was discovered by Associate Professor Steve Kerr, of the University of Otago, in the mudflats of Aramoana late last year, and again in January.

The same species was also spotted near the Catlins, about134 kms south of Dunedin.

Previously only two species of the Scorpiurus fly were believed to have originated in New Zealand. Those were found in the North Island and the top of the South Island.

'The flies from the genus Scorpiurus are endemic to New Zealand, found nowhere else in the world, which makes this species unique, and its discovery even more exciting,' Kerr said.

'Given its interesting position in the estuarine ecosystem, it is likely to serve as a good indicator of environmental health.'

Often maligned as pests, flies were efficient pollinators and helped remove debris from the environment, he said.

The holotype, the single specimen that acts as an identifier for the species, is held in the Otago Museum collection.

Kerr, a neurotoxicologist, studies the insects in his spare time.