[2] D. obatai is part of the orphnopeza subgroup in the picture-wing clade, and is closely related to D. sodomae, a fly found on the islands of Maui and Molokai.

[3] D. obatai was described in 1972 by D. Elmo Hardy and Kenneth Y. Kaneshiro, from specimens collected in the Waiʻanae Range.

[5] D. obatai is named after John K. Obata, a local school teacher and botanist who is credited with being directly responsible for the discovery of many new species, habitats, and host plant associations.

[4] The species description of D. obatai refers to Mr. Obata as an "enthusiastic field man" who "knows the trails and endemic plants of Oahu exceptionally well and has worked closely with [the] collectors".

An additional threat to the conservation of D. obatai is that at least one of its host plants, Dracaena forbesii, is also very rare and has been listed as federally endangered.