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Guide to New Zealand's freshwater invertebrates
Stonefly
(
Gripopterygidae
: Zelandobius
)
Diagnostic features
Zelandobius stonefly nymphs have a rosette of anal gills between the cerci (“tails”). There are several species but they tend to be a uniform brown colour. They lack the hairy legs of Zelandoperla, the pale markings of Acroperla or Nesoperla, the subanal lobe spines of Megaleptoperla, or the thoracic lobes of Taraperla.
Typical habitats
Zelandobius nymphs can be found in a wide range of stony streams and rivers all over the country.
Feeding
They are thought to be “collector-gatherers”, feeding on a range of organic matter accumulating on stream beds.
Indicator value
Zelandobius species can be found in streams of moderate to good water quality. They have tolerance values of 5 (hard bottom sites) and 7.4 (soft bottom sites).
