Three-lined Hover Fly Helophilus seelandicus

Three bold black stripes run behind this hoverfly's head, and that distinctive pattern literally became its name. Found nowhere else on Earth except New Zealand, it's a striking endemic creature far more benign than its mosquito cousins. These nectar-feeding pollinators are completely harmless to humans and play an important ecological role in native gardens. Unlike disease-carrying insects, this hoverfly represents the gentler side of the fly world, quietly doing beneficial work in wild spaces.