#new zealand batfly

[uncharismatic-fauna]

New Zealand Batfly (Mystacinobia zelandica)

Habitat & Distribution

Endemic to the island of Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Found in the colonies of New Zealand short-tailed bats, which reside primarily in caves, forests, and agricultural areas

Physical Description

Length: 4–9 mm (0.15-0.35 in)

Although they are true flies, the New Zealand batfly is wingless; they also lack eyes, and instead use specialized hairs to sense its surroundings

Both sexes are orange, with darker heads and lighter abdomens

Behaviour

New Zealand batflies are reliant on the guano produced by New Zealand short-tailed bats; they both feed on the guano and lay their eggs in it

They live in colonies, with males closely guarding clutches of eggs

To disperse, individuals attach themselves to the fur of the New Zealand short-tailed bat and hitch a ride to new colonies

Key Advantages

To avoid predation, males produce a high-frequency buzz that can disorient or deter bats

Due to their small size, they may difficult to find

See where they stand in the May Mammal Madness Tournament here!

Photo by Rod Morris

[splorpo]

Google batflies. Funky insects.

this led me down a rabbit hole of reading about how the new zealand batfly is not only completely different from all other batfly species in that it is not parasitic, but it wasn’t even properly studied until the 70s bc basically no one knew it existed. absolutely wonderful how many unique and specialized species there are out there. completely fascinating.

[m-o-p-e]

Batfly It��s an ant! It’s a spider. No—it’s BATFLY! A blind, wingless species of fly that lives on and with New Zealand short-tailed bats in strange symbiotic relationship. Similar animals infesting bats in South America and elsewhere are blood-sucking parasites—the vampire’s vampire—but the New Zealand version is a vegetarian coprophage specialising in the management of bat guano.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Round One: Connoisseur Critters

Fork-marked Lemur vs New Zealand Batfly

Arena: Tropical forest

Remember, it's not a popularity contest- it's a fight to the death!