Ecology of the Copeland River warm springs, South Island, New Zealand.

An ecological study of the alkaline Copland River warm springs in the South Island of New Zealand was made in January 1972. Maximum water temperature was 57¡C and the upper limit of the dominant alga Mastigocladus laminoslis was 50¡C. Other important species of blue-green algae present were Synechocystis minuscule and Oscillatoria terebriformis. Fifteen species of invertebrates were found between 26 and 38¡C including the thermophile Ephydrella thermarum, which is often abundant in North Island warm springs, and the common mosquito Culex pervigilans which previously had not been recorded breeding in thermal waters. Observations made on warm springs at four other South Island localities are also recorded.