Arthropods Codexery

Plecoptera

Stoneflies are primitive aquatic insects sensitive to water pollution.

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Plecoptera, commonly called stoneflies, are an order of insects with about 3,500 described species worldwide.[1] Their nymphs are aquatic and require well-oxygenated water, making them reliable indicators of good water quality.[2][3] The name "Plecoptera" means "braided-wings," referring to the complex venation of their two pairs of membranous wings.[4]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumArthropoda
  3. CladePancrustacea
  4. ClassInsecta
  5. OrderPlecoptera

Named by Burmeister, 1839

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Plecoptera (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Field
Entomology
Species described
~3,500
Geological range
Carboniferous to present
Habitat
Well-oxygenated lakes and streams (except Antarctica)

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

They are considered one of the most primitive groups of Neoptera, with close relatives known from the Carboniferous and Lower Permian periods.[5] True stonefly fossils appear only slightly younger than those relatives.[5] All stonefly nymphs are intolerant of water pollution.[2] Stoneflies inhabit all continents with the exception of Antarctica.[5]

The Mesozoic era is when the current diversity of stoneflies is thought to have originated.[6] Nymphs are found in the benthic zone of streams and lakes that have high oxygen levels.[7] On New Zealand and adjacent islands, a small number of species possess nymphs that live on land, but only in locations that are consistently very damp.[7] Adult stoneflies typically live for just a few weeks and appear only during particular seasons.[8]

What the cited sources add

The 1998 book "Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity" describes stoneflies as having generalized anatomy with few specialized features.[9][10] Long, paired cerci are present at the abdomen's tip in both nymphs and adults.[9][10] The 2008 work "Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment" reports that roughly 3,500 species have been described, and new ones continue to be found.[1][11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Plecoptera" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Romolo Fochetti, "Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment", 2008, p. 365–377 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Plecoptera" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nelson, "Clean water has bugs in it, says BYU Biology Professor Riley Nelson" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Plecoptera" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Plecoptera - Stoneflies -- Discover Life", www.discoverlife.org; Hoell, H.V., "Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity", Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 383–386 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Plecoptera" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: S. C. Woodhouse, "English-Greek Dictionary - a Vocabulary of the Attic Language", George Routledge & Sons, 1910 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Plecoptera" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brittain, 1987 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Plecoptera" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Peter Zwick, "Phylogenetic system and zoogeography of the Plecoptera", Annual Review of Entomology, 2000, p. 709–746 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Plecoptera" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "ENT 425 General Entomology Resource Library Compendium [plecoptera]", www.cals.ncsu.edu (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Plecoptera" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hoell, H.V., "Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity", Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 383–386; "ENT 425 General Entomology Resource Library Compendium [plecoptera]", www.cals.ncsu.edu (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Plecoptera" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hoell, H.V., "Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity", Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 383–386 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Open Library record, ISBN 9780195100334 ("Introduction to insect biology and diversity"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  11. Open Library record, ISBN 9781402082580 ("Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Plecoptera (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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