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Guide to New Zealand's freshwater invertebrates
Double gill mayfly
(
Leptophlebiidae
: Austroclima
)
Diagnostic features
Austroclima mayfly nymphs have a flattened body form, with generally dark brown colouring, double gills, and no sharp spines on the abdomen. The labrum (top “lip”) has a sharp indent at the front edge.
Typical habitats
Austroclima larvae are most abundant in stony or gravelly, cold water, well-aerated streams.
Feeding
Leptophlebiid mayflies feed by scraping diatom algae and other organic matter from stone surfaces.
Indicator value
High abundances of Austroclima are indicative of good habitat and water quality, particularly if other mayflies or stoneflies are common or abundant. They have tolerance values of 9 (hard bottom sites) and 6.5 (soft bottom sites).
