User:Samuelhobson/sandbox

Diet and foraging
The larve are canibalistic and this was shown with fewer than 15% of larve served had pre in them when disected. They eat a range of things consisting of Oligochaeta, Rotifera, Cyclopoid Copepoda, Ostracoda, Chydorus sphaericus, Simocephalus vetulus elizabethae, Hydracarina, Sigara spp, Anisops spp, Tiny Zygoptera larvae and Chironomidae larvae. They catch other water insects by hidding amongest submerged vegitation then when they come within striking destance they pounce. The larvae also eat each other the bigger more domanant eat the smaller. It’s a process of natural selection where the more dominant and fast survive (Rowe, 1992). The New Zealand damselfly adult eats other bugs around its laying pools and ponds. They mainly feed on other winged bugs usally smaller than them (Johnson, 1991).

Predators, Parasites, and Diseases
The larvae of the New Zealand damselfly also have predators even though they are usually one of the more dominant species in their pooling area. The predators consist of fish and beetles that they hide from in weed and submerged vegetation. They also are a predator to there own species as mentioned in their diet. Humans are also a big contributor to the New Zealand damselfly survival. With the power to redirect steams. This then leaves the ponds dry so the larvae unable to survive and also the eggs unable to hatch. This also happens with nature when ponds and streams dry up from droughts resulting in larvae unable to survive.