Zelandoperla fenestrata

This species fooled scientists form many years.

It is polymorphic, meaning it has many forms. There are both winged and wingless forms, while some copy the dark warning colouring of another unrelated but toxic stonefly species. Some of these different forms were thought to be separate species, but genetic studies show they are the same thing, and the different morphs can and often do interbreed.

This endemic species is found in high gradient streams from sea level to the alpine zone and is distributed from the Waikato region in the North Island to Dunedin in the South Island.

Check these links for more info on the Long-tailed Stonefly in NZ

Wikipedia: Information on Zelandoperla fenestrata

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iNaturalist.nz image © Jacob Littlejohn

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