The species is a 'shredder' that lives and feeds on decomposing wood and leaves in streams throughout New Zealand.

[3][4] A. cyrene nymphs and adults contain hydrogen cyanide[3] and as a result are toxic to predators.

[6] This distinctive warning coloration is mimicked by melanic specimens of the non-toxic stoneflies Zelandoperla fenestrata and Taraperla pseudocyrene.

[1][5] A fossilised specimen of Austroperla has been recorded from early Miocene sediments of Foulden Maar in Central Otago.

A phylogenetic study of Southern Hemisphere stoneflies[7] similarly suggests an ancient history for this New Zealand lineage, with Austroperla estimated to have diverged from Australian and Chilean austroperlids around 37 million years ago.