Leptotarsus albistigma is a species of crane fly native to New Zealand.[1] The species was first described as Macromastix albistigma by Frederick Wallace Edwards in 1923.
Edwards described the species as follows:
Leptotarsus albistigma is pale green in colour.[2] The species' eggs are elliptical and 0.75mm in length. The larvae are between 16.5 mm and 20 mm in length, are moderately flattened and are a cinnamon-like light-brown colour.
In 1924, Charles Paul Alexander classified the species into a subgenus, Chlorotipula, which included exclusively species from New Zealand.[3] Since this time, the subgenus Chlorotipula has been recategorised and placed within the genus Leptotarsus.[4]
The species is endemic to New Zealand.[1] It is commonly found in the South Island, on damp logs of exotic tree species, including rotting Pinus radiata and willow trees.[5]
The larvae of Leptotarsus albistigma bores through wood that has been softened by fungi. Larvae of Austrolimnophila argus, another species of New Zealand crane-fly, have been found together with the larvae of this species.[6]