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Guide to New Zealand's freshwater invertebrates
Double gill mayfly
(
Leptophlebiidae
: Tepakia
)
Diagnostic features
Tepakia mayfly nymphs have a flattened body form, with “M” shaped patterning on the abdominal segments. The double gills are leaf-like, but with a filament that does not originate from the apex of the gill.
Typical habitats
Tepakia larvae are most common in bush covered streams in the north of the North Island.
Feeding
Leptophlebiid mayflies feed by scraping diatom algae and other organic matter from stone surfaces.
Indicator value
High abundances of Tepakia are indicative of good habitat and water quality, particularly if other mayflies or stoneflies are common or abundant. They have tolerance values of 8 (hard bottom sites) and 7.6 (soft bottom sites).
