Plecoptera

Typically clean, cool, running water - rocks, boulders

Few in lakes

Sensitive indicator taxa

Adults

• Riparian vegetation, or on rocks and debris along stream

Larvae

• Typically switch food type with development:

• Usually herbivore-detritivore - switch to omnivore-carnivore

• Shredders• Predators

Emergence

• Through year

• Predators - emerge spring-summer

Adult behavior

• Males and females drum to communicate

• Tap substrate with tip of abdomen

Drumming

• Females release eggs over stream surface

• Eggs stick to surfaces

• http://www.ias.unt.edu/~StoneflyHome/Home/

Life history

• Univoltine = annual life cycle

• Few are semivoltine = 2-3 generations / year

• Hemimetabolous metamorphosis• = incomplete metamorphosis

– No pupal stage

Morphology

• Gills in some

• Cerci - usually 2

• Wingpads

• 2 claws at end of each leg

http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/science/biology/Invertebrate_key/Plecoptera/Plecoptera_key_NB.htm

Be able to ID to family

• Gills, mouth parts

• Pteronarcyidae - finely branched gills on thorax and first 2 abdomen segments

Pteronarcyidae

No gills on abdomenFinely branched gills on thoracic segments =

Perlidae

Perlodidae

• Small fingerlike gills on thorax or none

• Distinct pigmentation on head and thorax

• Cerci as long as abdomen

Chloroperlidae

• Thoracic wing pads parallel; cerci <3/4 length of abdomen, thorax and head usually without pattern

Capniidae

• Abdomen divided by membraneous fold along its whole length, middle segments of abdomen, when viewed from above, are wider than the base of the terminal segments, body is usually brown in color

Leuctridae

• Abdomen divided by membraneous fold along no more than the first  6 segments, sides of abdomen more or less parallel down their length, usually pale in colour

Nemouridae: tarsal segment 2 shorter than 1

Taenioptergidae: tarsal segment 2 = to 1