Name
Plecoptera
stonefly, stonefly, pearl fly
Framing
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Hexapoda
Subclass: Insecta
Order: Plecoptera
Habitat
Aquatic nymphs (freshwater benthic, mainly in rivers). Terrestrial adults, on vegetation or on rocks on the shore or emerging from the riverbed
Feeding
Phytophagous adults or almost do not take food. Predatory, phytophagous or detritivorous nymphs
Distribution
All continents except Antarctica
Conservation status
At a global level there are many threatened species due to their high sensitivity to alterations in the aquatic environments where they live. Several species are included in the red books of threatened species of Spain and Andalusia
Additional information
Delicate body, yellow to dark brown in colour and small to medium size. Antennae long and filiform. Two pairs of membranous wings, the second pair larger than the first, arranged flat on the abdomen or partially rolled into a basket. The body ends in a pair of cerci. Nymphs are aquatic, with long antennae and long cerci.
Additional information
Bibliography
- DeWalt, R. E., Kondratieff, B. C., & Sandberg, J. B. (2015). Order Plecoptera. In Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates, Ecology and General Biology. Fourth Edition.
(pp. 933-949). Academic Press. Accesible en (solicitando copia a los autores): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282566926_Order_Plecoptera
- DeWalt, R. E., & Ower, G. D. (2019). Ecosystem services, global diversity, and rate of stonefly species descriptions (Insecta: Plecoptera). Insects, 10(4), 99. Accesible en: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/10/4/99
- Tierno de Figueroa, J. M., & López-Rodríguez, M. J. (2015). Orden Plecoptera. Revista IDE@ - SEA, nº 43(30-06-2015): 1–14. Accesible en: http://sea-entomologia.org/IDE@/revista_43.pdf
- Tierno de Figueroa, J. M., Sánchez-Ortega, A., Membiela-Iglesia, P., & Luzón-Ortega, J. M. (2003). Fauna Ibérica, vol. 22. Plecoptera. Ramos, M.A. et al. (Eds). Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC. Disponible en biblioteca UGR.