11005-20508 Silverfish (Heterolepisma zelandica) lives under bark in Nothofagus forests, but uncommon. An introduced species infesting houses and eating paper and cloth is more widely known. The most primitive of all insect orders *
DSC_4606 Burrowing mayfly (Ichthybotus hudsoni) nymphs such as this one burrow into the gravelly beds of forest streams with cool and well aerated water. They have delicate slender bodies, distinctive feather-like gills, and tusk-like mandibles extending in front of the head which are used for digging, not for capturing prey. They are thought to be “collector-gatherers”, feeding on organic matter trapped in the stream bed. Rangitukia Stream, Mt Pirongia *
DSC_6488 Predatory mayfly (Ameletopsis perscitus) nymph. Head enlarged and skull-like. This is the only predatory mayfly nymph in New Zealand, and one of very few in the world. Kauru River *
