It is that curiosity that led him to discover an entirely new species of fly, the Empidadelpha pokekeao.
He first discovered the fly at Sullivans Dam in December of 2017.
Prof Kerr said he was outside photographing insects when he noticed the ‘‘little fellow’’.
The fly sat perfectly still and after taking some photos Prof Kerr caught it to identify later.
He considered leaving it be, but felt it was important to properly document his findings by capturing the specimen.
After a few years of research he discovered nobody had ever described a fly like the one he had caught.
It was a brand new species in the Empidadelpha genus, which previously comprised of only three other species, two of which were found in New Zealand.
No females of the species had ever been found.
He did not feel a sense of special pride in his discovery, but instead felt it was simply ‘‘work worth doing’’.
Flies were an essential part of the ecosystem, as they acted as pollinators and cleaned the environment, he said.
Prof Kerr’s fascination for creatures began as a child in the United States, when he would gather all manner of specimens for his collection.
He often brought home skulls, turtle shells and anything that piqued his interest, including a rattlesnake he kept in the basement.
His parents were supportive of his hobby, but he left it behind when he became an adult, he said.
That passion reignited 30 years on and he found himself always coming back to flies.
He had no idea what it was about flies that fascinated him, but he was familiar enough with their biology that he knew something was special about that fly at Sullivans Dam.
Identifying the species was a long process involving carefully studying the fly and cross-referencing it to every similar species.
As an honorary curator of entomology at Otago Museum, Prof Kerr has donated myriad flies.
Museum marketing manager Kate Oktay said a specimen would be kept at the museum once labelled and decontaminated.
