Stoneflies or Plecoptera

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Stoneflies or Plecoptera

• Robert Ortiz
• Intro to Aquaculture
• 7/8/08

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Biological Facts

• Live beneath stones in fast-moving, well-aerated
  water.
• Most species feed on algae and other submerged
  vegetation.
• They are not active fliers and usually remain
  near the ground where they feed.
• Immature stoneflies are aquatic nymphs.

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Life Cycle Immature

• Antennae long
• Body flattened and legs widely separated
• Gills present as tufts behind the head, at base
  of legs, or around the anus
• Each segment of thorax is covered by a large
  scale
• Multi-segmented

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Life Cycle Mature

• Antennae long
• Front wings long and narrow
• Hind wings shorter than front wings
• Base area of hind wing enlarged and pleated
• Multi-segmented

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Importance

• Used by ecologists as indicators of water purity
  because they are extremely sensitive to water
  pollution.  
• Stoneflies are an important source of food for
  game fish (i.e. trout and bass) in cold mountain
  streams.

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Taxonomy

• Order Plecoptera
• Family Perlidae (Common Stoneflies) largest
  family in the order.
• Taeniopterygidae (Winter Stoneflies) adults
  emerge January to April
• Nemouridae (Spring Stoneflies) adults emerge
  April to June

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