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Guide to New Zealand's freshwater invertebrates
Bush dragonfly
(
Petaluridae
: Uropetala
)
Diagnostic features
Uropetala is a large dragonfly having a large larva with a long abdomen. The larvae appear heavily armoured (though without spines) and the legs are very hairy. The labial palps (jaw-like structures used to grab prey) lie flat under the head when at rest.
Typical habitats
Uropetala larvae are rarely recorded because they burrow into the mud of wetland margins – habitats that are rarely sampled.
Feeding
They are predators, feeding on other stream invertebrates.
Indicator value
Uropetala are inhabitants of wetlands rather than streams and they probably have little value as water quality indicators. They have medium to low tolerance values of 5 (hard bottom sites) and 0.4 (soft bottom sites).
