Another Chironomid. This species is endemic to Aotearoa, but the genus is probably the largest in the family, with many genera folded back into it.

Polydelium larvae can be the most common invertebrates in nutrient-rich ponds, with over 1200 in each square meter.

Or rather the P. nubifer complex, because it turns out this widespread and adaptable Chironomid is actually at least three cryptic species, although one of them is only known from retention ponds at a uranium mine in the Northern Territory.

Polypedilum nubifer is breeds in tropical and subtropical waters in the Afrotropical, Palaearctic, Oriental, and Australasian regions, although it's highly likely that humans accidentally introduced them to some areas, including Florida and Hawaii. They were first described from Australia.

They can become extremely numerous in warm, shallow, eutrophic waters subject to seasonal drying, such as rice fields, eel ponds, drainage channels, canals, and treatment ponds. This can be a nuisance to people living nearby. The larvae are also considered a major pest of rice fields in China.