Scolecolepides freemani Mitchell & Edwards 1988

Shallow depths.

New Zealand, South Island, from inland fresh or brackish waters, some almost 20 km from the sea: Lakes Waipori, Waihola, Ellesmere, the Water of Leith, Taieri, Waikouaiti, Katiki, Avon, Heathcote, and lower Waipori Rivers, in Otago and Canterbury District; and Hokitika River and Little Hou Chou Creek, in Westland District.

Soft sediment with a high clay-silt fraction, in waters of greatly reduced salinity in upper estuarine reaches. Freshwater with chloride concentrations between 9-30 g/m³, representing 0.1-0.2% of those in seawater, but being able to survive to chloride levels of up to 12% of seawater. Most abundant in shallow water swept by tidal currents, in burrows to a depth of 65 cm below the mud surface. Observations suggest that the distribution of the species is limited by an inhability of the adults to tolerate high salinities, but that there is a salinity tolerant phase in the life cycle.