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Plecoptera (stoneflies)
Life
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Plecopterida
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Stonefly adult Aphanicerca sp. (family: Notonemouridae). [photo Hamish Robertson] |
Stoneflies, like mayflies, dragonflies and damselflies, have aquatic nymphal stages.
The nymphs can usually be distinguished from mayfly nymphs by having two rather than three
filaments protruding from the end of the abdomen (ie. they have paired cerci but no median
caudal filament). They are usually found in fast-flowing streams with clean water and live
among and under the rocks. After they have completed their development, they crawl out of
the water, fasten themselves to the side of a rock, and moult into the adult stage. The
female usually lays her eggs by dropping them into the water and letting them be dispersed
by the flow of the stream.
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