Austrosimulium australense
Austrosimulium australense, known as the New Zealand black fly or more commonly sandfly (namu in Māori), is a species of small fly of the family Simuliidae, endemic to New Zealand. Females consume blood for nutrients to produce eggs, and it is one of three species of Austrosimulium in New Zealand that often bite humans. Description The bodies of adult females are 2.0–2.4 mm long; their wings are 1.9–2.5 mm long and 0.9–1.2 mm wide. The bodies of males are 1.8–2.8 mm long; their wings are 1.7–2.1 mm long and 0.8–1.1 mm wide. Larvae and pupae of the insect are found in small, cold-water streams, usually under heavy forest shade that serves to keep the water cool. Distribution This is the most widely distributed species of Austrosimulium in New Zealand, being found from North Cape to Stewart Island, although it is largely absent from Canterbury, Otago, and the South Island high country. Feeding Most species of Austrosimulium in New Zealand do not attack humans; A. australense is one of the three which does. "...no sooner had the sun risen, and we issued from our tent to wash by the river side, than those peculiarly vexatious pests, the sand-flies (namu), commenced their