Chaetocoelopa littoralis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Chaetocoelopa littoralis, commonly known as the hairy kelp fly, is a fly of the family Coelopidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is widely distributed around the coastline, including offshore islands. These flies are black in appearance and show large variation in size, with males tending to be larger and more robust and 'hairy' than females.
C. littoralis is a small fly with long hairy legs, and a body length of approximately 7 mm. The fly is able to walk on the surface of water, and can survive and recover from inundation by waves. Hutton originally described this species as follows:
Grey. A broad band on the head, stretching up on each side of the ocelli. Antennæ, palpi, proboscis, and legs reddish-brown. Legs and abdomen with long black hairs; thorax with short black hairs. Wings hyaline, with brown veins.
This species was first described by F. W. Hutton in 1881 and named Coelopa littoralis. In 1901 Hutton, thinking he was describing a new species, again named this species Coelopa monstruosa. In 1933 John R. Malloch placed this species within the genus Chaetocoelopa. The male lectotype specimen is held at the Canterbury Museum. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Hairy Kelp Fly sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 495th most-seen of the 689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hairy Kelp Fly in Auckland on a given day, against under 5% in June to March, the lowest months.
Only Auckland, in our data
Auckland is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Hairy Kelp Fly sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Diptera
The closest relatives of the Hairy Kelp Fly that you can see in Auckland (order Diptera, Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 20%), Garden Soldier Fly (about 20%) and Austrosciapus proximus (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hairy Kelp Fly is recorded against all the insects logged in Auckland (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
