It is one of a number of unusual flightless flies native to the islands.

They were described as being locally abundant when collected in 1907 on Tantalus Peak, but not found in the 1980s.

One reason for their demise is believed to be due to introduced predatory ants of the genus Pheidole, but other factors, including loss of habitat, may also be involved.

[2] The species was originally described and placed in the genus Emperoptera by Percy H. Grimshaw in 1902.

This article related to members of the fly family Dolichopodidae is a stub.