COMMON STONEFLY sp.

Perlidae

COMMON STONEFLIES (Perlidae)


Description

The Common Stonefly is approximately 1.5 inches in length.  The head is orange with small black eyes and very long antennae.  The thorax  and abdomen are  orange to brown.  The clear wings are long and narrow.  



Occurrence

The Common Stonefly in this area is considered to be common. The individuals shown here were photographed at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center in mid-July and Neale Woods in early June.  Adults emerge in summer and are attracted to lights.



Comments

Adults do not feed.  The larvae are aquatic and predatory and feed mostly on midge larvae.  Along with Mayflies they are indicator species used to assess the health of rivers and streams.  There are 9 families in North America with more than 600 species. 





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Common Stonefly

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