Dilophus nigrostigma

Dilophus nigrostigma is a species of Bibionidae fly endemic to New Zealand. It is the largest and most common species of Dilophus in New Zealand.

Taxonomy

Dilophus nigrostigma was first described as Bibio nigrostigma in 1848. In 1901, Frederick Hutton reclassified the species into the genus Dilophus. D. nigrostigma was last revised in 1990.

Description

Compared to other New Zealand endemic Dilophus, D. nigrostigma is quite large. They can be further distinguished from the other species by the presence of three large spines on the fore tibia. The species is sexually dimorphic, with the males coloured black and the females light brown to reddish in colour.

Distribution and habitat

The species is restricted to New Zealand. It occurs on the two main islands, Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands.The adults occur from April to July, but are most common from November to February.

Plant associations

Dilophus nigrostigma frequently visits a variety of plants, presumably to feed on nectar. Reported plant associations are listed below.