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Kōrero: Insects – overview

New Zealand batfly

Video file

New Zealand batflies (Mystacinobia zelandica) are wingless flies that live in close association with the endemic short-tailed bat. This video clip shows a female fly depositing her eggs close to a newborn bat. When the eggs hatch, the batfly larvae attach themselves to the baby bat’s skin.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Natural History New Zealand

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Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

George Gibbs, Insects – overview – Unique species, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/video/10044/new-zealand-batfly (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā George Gibbs, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.