Double gill mayfly (Austroclima)

Taxonomic group

Leptophlebiidae: Austroclima

Diagnostic features

Austroclima mayfly nymphs have a flattened body form, with generally dark brown colouring, double gills, and no sharp spines on the abdomen. The labrum (top “lip”) has a sharp indent at the front edge.

[Austroclima]. Image: Stephen Moore Image — Austroclima. Image: Stephen Moore

[Austroclima]. Blunt abdominal spines. Image: Stephen Moore Image — Austroclima. Blunt abdominal spines. Image: Stephen Moore

Typical habitats

Austroclima larvae are most abundant in stony or gravelly, cold water, well-aerated streams.

Feeding

Leptophlebiid mayflies feed by scraping diatom algae and other organic matter from stone surfaces.

Indicator value

Hard bottom: 9
Soft bottom: 6.5

The tolerance values (ranging from 0 to 10) give an indication of which are the sensitive taxa (values of 8 or more) and which are the tolerant taxa (values of 3 or less). For more information see: Indicator species

High abundances of Austroclima are indicative of good habitat and water quality, particularly if other mayflies or stoneflies are common or abundant. They have tolerance values of 9 (hard bottom sites) and 6.5 (soft bottom sites).