Fauna of New Zealand Number 46 Nesameletidae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera)

Terry R. Hitchings and Arnold H. Staniczek

In New Zealand 40 species of Ephemeroptera (mayflies) have been classified in 8 families, although the list is not complete. New Zealand mayflies are average-sized insects, with the adults having two pairs of membranous wings. The adults have three tail filaments, at least two of which are very long. The juvenile stage is aquatic and has abdominal gills resembling small leaves along each side of the first seven abdominal segments.

Most mayfly species are adapted for clinging to the undersides of stones and boulders in streams, however the species of the family Nesameletidae are free swimming and able to dart about with agility to escape predators. They are sometimes referrred to collectively by trout fishermen as “the grey darter”.

In NZ the family Nesameletidae is represented by one genus, Nesameletus, whose five described species are all endemic. NZ mayflies almost always develop in unpolluted running water, feeding on algae and plant material and converting it into biomass. As such they are a vital part of the food chain, which is continued by their predators. Nesameletidae are widely distributed in NZ, though three species appear to be confined to the South Island, with all species tending to be found in smaller streams and trickles.

Two presently named species are redescribed and three new species added. The eggs and larval stages of the different species are described and associated with their respective adult stages. The text includes discussion of phylogenetic relationships, notes on ecology and distribution maps. Diagnostic characters of the species are illustrated and keys given for all life stages.

Contributor Terry Hitchings is an honorary research fellow in Invertebrate Zoology at the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch and curator of the Ephemeroptera collection. His particular interests include the distribution, taxonomy and phylogeny of NZ mayflies.

Contributor Arnold Staniczek studied biology and paleontology and has a PhD from Tubingen University, Germany, where his doctoral studies included work on NZ mayflies. He is now responsible for research on fossil and extant mayflies at the Natural History Museum of Stuttgart.

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Author: Terry R. Hitchings and Arnold H. Staniczek
ISBN: 978-0-47-809349-0
Publisher: Manaaki Whenua Press
Publication date: 2003
Pages: 72
Format: Paperback