Melanostoma fasciatum is a species of hoverfly found in New Zealand, where it is common in agricultural fields and gardens.

Hence, they are perhaps an effective natural and non-toxic bioagent that may control and reduce aphid and small caterpillar populations.

[8] Melanostoma fasciatum is endemic to New Zealand where it is widespread, but appears to be more abundant in the North Island.

[3] They are known to occur in grasslands, gardens and other habitat types that have low growing vegetation, especially in agricultural settings.

Due to this choice of diet, these flies are considered a useful bioagent for managing aphid and caterpillar pests on crops.

It has been proposed that M. fasciatum may be useful for controlling populations of B. cockerelli, which could thereby reduce zebra chip disease.