Philanisus plebeius
Caddisflies are famously associated with freshwater environments, but the larval stage of this species lives in an intertidal marine habitat. If this isn’t strange enough for you, adult females lay their eggs in cushion stars.
Adult intertidal caddisflies are known to shelter behind large rocks and are attracted to light. Females lay their eggs in cushion stars. When the larvae emerge, much like their freshwater counterparts, they construct a protective silken tube that they cover in algal fragments and sometimes bits of shell and sand. The larvae feed on algae.
This species is found around much of the New Zealand coast, although it is curiously absent from much of the western sides of both the North and South Islands and Stewart Island. It is also known from coastal New South Wales down to Tasmania in Australia and may have been accidentally introduced there by humans.
Check these links for more info on the Intertidal Caddisfly in NZ
Wikipedia: Information on the Intertidal Caddisfly
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