Plecoptera Research Articles

Lead (Pb) Accumulation in Water, Sediment and Distribution of Macro-Invertebrates in Delimi River, Jos, Nigeria

Background: This study assessed the concentrations of lead (Pb) in the water column and sediment as well as macro-invertebrates in River Delimi with a view to determining its ability to support aquatic life. Methodology: Water and sediment samples were collected simultaneously between August and November 2019 at designated stations: A (Abattoir), B (British America bridge), and C (Farin Gada bridge). Composite method was employed to collect water samples from different points in each station in 250 ml capacity plastic bottles with screw caps. The plastic bottles had previously washed with detergent and finally rinsed using distilled water. The water samples were filtered using 0.4 mm Whatman filter paper. Samples were then digested with few drops of concentrated nitric acid (HNO3). Sediment samples were collected in decontaminated airtight polythene bags measuring 500_g each. Sub-samples of the material were sun-dried for three (3) days and homogenized by grinding in laboratory mortar and pestle and sieved (aperture 125 µm). Sediment samples were digested with 20 cm3 aqua regia (3HCl:1HNO3), filtrate were stored in glass bottles and transported to the laboratory for chemical analyses. Macroinvertebrates were collected using a D-frame kick-net (30) at each site over a three-minute period. The collected specimens were preserved in 70% formalin and transported to the laboratory for sorting, identification, and enumeration. Result: Showed that the concentration of lead (Pb) in all the water samples were found to be less than the permissible limit set by WHO/FAO except site WA3 (0.0874ppm) and WC3 (0.0678 ppm) which were higher than the permissible limit. The concentration of lead (Pb) in sediment was higher than the WHO/FAO permissible limit in all sampling stations which is most likely to pose serious health risks to macrobenthos. Also, 7 Micro-invertebrate taxa were identified in the sampling stations. Chironomidae, Eristalis Larva (Syrphidae), Tabanidae and Whirligig beetle (Gyrinidae) comprised more than 79% of the total abundance while stone fly Larva, hydrophilidae and beetle larva constituted the remaining. Conclusion: water samples suggest potential environmental contamination of lead in some locations while sediment samples indicate a significant contamination with lead, posing potential health risks to organisms living in the sediment, including macrobenthos.

Diversity and Ecological Distribution of Plecoptera of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The order Plecoptera constitutes a relatively small group of aquatic insects, encompassing 17 extant families and comprising over 4400 valid species. In Brazil, the number of valid extant species is 207, located in two families: Perlidae (149) and Gripopterygidae (58). Despite extensive research on the southeastern region of Brazil, there is a notable scarcity of comprehensive studies consolidating geographical records and species richness of Plecoptera in the state of Minas Gerais. This study seeks to increase and refine our understanding of Plecoptera within Minas Gerais, focusing on its diversity and distribution. The initial phase involved a thorough review of articles documenting Plecoptera species in the state. Subsequently, biological material from the Museum of Entomology at the Federal University of Viçosa collection was meticulously identified, and its geographical records were incorporated. Utilizing this dataset, we compiled an updated list of Plecoptera species documented in Minas Gerais. Geographical coordinates of collection points were then mapped and graphically represented to elucidate the geographic and altitudinal distribution of these species. A total of 42 Plecoptera species were identified within the state of Minas Gerais, adding many occurrence records and documenting the first record of Gripopteryx pinima for the state. Despite these advancements, knowledge gaps persist, particularly in the mesoregions of Triângulo/Alto Paranaíba, Oeste de Minas, Vale do Mucuri, and Campo das Vertentes. This endeavor serves as an initial foundation to stimulate further collections and investments in undersampled areas, fostering future monitoring and conservation initiatives for aquatic environments.

Diversity of Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Communities in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico

The objective of this work is to contribute to the knowledge of the freshwater macroinvertebrate communities of Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico. For this region, there is only limited knowledge of its aquatic crustaceans and mollusks. A total of 13,399 freshwater macroinvertebrates were collected from four river sections in each of the three sub-basins of the region using the Surber network in four seasons of an annual cycle (2021–2022) and were preserved in 70° alcohol. Organisms belonging to seven phyla, nine (sub)classes, 21 (sub)orders and 65 families were identified. The most abundant orders were Ephemeroptera (42.03%), with greatest abundance of the family Baetidae, and the orders Trichoptera (19.11%), Diptera (15.43%), and Coleoptera (3.98%). Four families exceeded 10% relative abundance, and together they total 61.02%: Baetidae (23.84%), Hydroptilidae (13.58%), Leptohyphidae (13.03%), Chironomidae (10.57%), and Elmidae (3.23%). The order Plecoptera was recorded for the first time in Los Tuxtlas, with three families. The orders Hydrachnidae and Ostracoda, as well as six families of the order Ephemeroptera, with only one previously recorded family, and six more families of the order Diptera, were also documented. Two species of invasive aquatic mollusks were found in several rivers and basins. In this work, a high diversity of freshwater macroinvertebrates occurred compared to other sites studied in Veracruz and Mexico, and new records of these taxa are provided for the region of Los Tuxtlas.

The first record of the order Plecoptera (Insecta) from Iraq.

Faunistic studies of stoneflies (Plecoptera) in Iraq are almost nonexistent. This article records the order Plecoptera in Iraq for the first time, based on adult specimens of three species: Leuctra fusca (Linnaeus, 1758), Protonemura bacurianica Zhiltzova, 1957 and Pontoperla cf. teberdinica (Balinsky, 1950), belonging to three different families: Leuctridae, Nemouridae, and Chloroperlidae, respectively. The specimens were collected from the eastern and northeastern mountain streams of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region in November 2020 and May 2022.

Sequencing Analysis of COI Genes Isolated from Vietnam’s Endemic Insect Species (Insecta: Plecoptera) for DNA Barcoding Database

The Insecta are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. The diversity of Plecoptera aquatic insect order is used as an environmental and ecological indicator. The study of endemic species is important for confirming the national biodiversity and contributing to the determination of national sovereignty. Despite Vietnam being a biodiversity hotspot, the number of known insect species remains limited. As a result, DNA barcoding has been used as a cutting-edge technique to efficiently and rapidly classify biological species. The Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene is widely regarded as a standard barcode for animal classification. In this study, we amplified and sequenced a portion of the COI gene fragment with a molecular weight of 710 bp for eight insect species belonging to the order Plecoptera, endemic to Vietnam. When compared to the previously published sequences of other Plecoptera species, the results of COI gene sequence analysis showed a high divergence of at least 9.9%. Molecular analysis of the studied species accurately demonstrated their endemism and morphological similarities. This study contributes to the development of a DNA barcoding database for endemic insects in Vietnam.

MATERIALS ON THE FAUNA OF EPHEMEROPTERA, PLECOPTERA AND TRICHOPTERA OF THE KRONOTSKY NATURE RESERVE AND OTHER REGIONS OF KAMCHATKA

As a result of collection in 2014–2021, additional information was obtained on the fauna and distribution of three orders of amphibiotic insects Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera of the Kronotsky State Natural Biosphere Reserve and other regions of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The general list of the three orders the studied territory includes 56 species: 8 species of mayfl ies, 17 – stonefl ies, and 31 – caddisfl ies. For the territory of Kronotsky Nature Reserve are noted 50 species: 8 – mayfl ies, 11 – stonefl ies, and 31 – caddisfl ies; the presence of 48 previously known species is confi rmed. Stonefl y Capnia nigra (Pictet, 1833) and caddisfl y Hydropsyche kozhantschikovi are fi rst fi nds for the reserve. Plecopterans Plumiperla diversa (Frison, 1935) is discovered for Geyser Valley streams for the fi rst time, and Isocapnia orientalis Zhiltzova, 1975 is a new fi nding for the Kamchatka Peninsula.

ESTIMATION OF WATER QUALITY ACCORDING TO THE EPT INDEX IN THE KAMCHATKA PENINSULA RIVERS IN AUTUMN, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT REGIONAL FEATURES OF THE FAUNA

The paper presents the results of the water quality assessing in the surveyed areas of the foothill Kamchatka Peninsula Rivers in the autumn of 2023. The EPT index of indicator groups of mayfl ies (Ephemeroptera), stonefl ies (Plecoptera), and caddisfl ies (Trichoptera) in the streams of the Bolshaya, Kamchatka, and Avacha River Basins varied within 8–16, which corresponds to the standard of good-fair or fair water quality. However, given that the fauna of these indicator orders of aquatic insects in the Kamchatka Rivers is slightly more than 20 % of that in the south of the Far East; these regional features are also refl ected in the indices when assessing water quality, in particular, in the number of EPT species. And if the water quality is considered good if there are 24–31 species in the rivers of the south of the Far East, then for the watercourses of Kamchatka such water quality, which we assessed with an index of 10 to 16, is quite justifi ed. It is also necessary to take into account seasonal changes in the fauna, since the samples were taken in September, when most of the indicator taxa left the streams, and a number of species of the new generation had not yet hatched. Our results can be confi rmed by studies conducted earlier in the areas of existing economic facilities on the Kamchatka Peninsula, which showed that the EPT index in the background river sections varied from 10 (Agi R.) to 13 (Tolmacheva R.), which is comparable with our results.

THE LONG-TERM DYNAMICS OF ZOOBENTHOS COMMUNITIES IN THE LAKE UNDER CONDITIONS OF WASTEWATER POLLUTION FROM APATITE- NEPHELINE PRODUCTION

The changes in the composition and structure of zoobenthos of Bolshoi Vudyavr Lake were analyzed in the long-term dynamics. Benthic fauna is characterized by low taxonomic diversity. Zoocenosis consists of eurybiont species of oligochaetes (Tubifi cinae), chironomids (Chironiminae, Tanypodinae), and mollusks (Pisidiidae) in the deep-water zone. Chironomids Orthocladiina dominated in the littoral zone. Communities are complemented by bivalves, oligochaetes and invertebrates typical for the littoral zone of the lakes (gastropods, caddisfl y, beetles, mayfl ies, stonefl ies). In the structure of deep-water biocenoses there is a tendency of increasing of mollusks Pisidiidae. Their share in the total number of invertebrates increased from 30 % in 2001 to 66 % in 2022. Zoobenthos are characterized by relatively high values of abundance number and biomass. The average level of biomass of zoobenthos in the lake varies from “moderate” (5,0–10,0 g/m2) to “elevated” class (10–20 g/m2).

BOTTOM INVERTEBRATES IN STREAMS OF THE TUGUR PENINSULA (KHABAROVSK TERRITORY)

The group structure of the macrozoobenthos communities in the rivers of the Tugursky Peninsula, located in the Tugur- Chumikansky district of the Khabarovsk Territory, was described for the fi rst time. The material was collected in four rivers fl owing into the Ulban Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk and nine streams of the Tugur Bay with estuaries. Most of the surveyed rivers belong to the category of small salmon streams of the submountain type and are the environment and reproduction for anadromous and freshwater fi shes, which feed on benthic invertebrates. It has been established that the faunistic composition of benthic invertebrates in the streams of the Tugur Peninsula is relatively rich, represented by more than 155 taxa from 16 taxonomic groups. Average macrozoobenthos density varies from 2320 to 29568 ind./m2, biomass from 3,7 to 36,4 g/m2. In the benthic communities of all streams chironomids were dominant in density. In estuaries aff ected by tides, the category of dominants in terms of density and biomass is formed by oligochaetes. Mayfl ies predominate in the benthos structure in the upper and middle reaches. Stonefl ies and caddisfl ies mostly fall into the categories of subdominants and minor groups. The high coeffi cients of faunal similarity in diff erent parts of the streams suggest that the impact of tidal events on the taxonomic composition of benthos in estuaries is minimal. At the same time, signifi cant changes were revealed in the structure of estuarine communities among the dominant groups of macrozoobenthos. According to the EPT index, the ecological state of most streams is assessed as good or good-medium.

DNA barcoding for biodiversity assessment: Croatian stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera).

BackgroundThe hemi-metabolous aquatic order Plecoptera (stoneflies) constitutes an indispensable part of terrestrial and aquatic food webs due to their specific life cycle and habitat requirements. Stoneflies are considered one of the most sensitive groups to environmental changes in freshwater ecosystems and anthropogenic changes have caused range contraction of many species. Given the critical threat to stoneflies, the study of their distribution, morphological variability and genetic diversity should be one of the priorities in conservation biology. However, some aspects about stoneflies, especially a fully resolved phylogeny and their patterns of distribution are not well known. A study that includes comprehensive field research and combines morphological and molecular identification of stoneflies has not been conducted in Croatia so far. Thus, the major aim of this study was to regenerate a comprehensive and taxonomically well-curated DNA barcode database for Croatian stoneflies, to highlight the morphological variability obtained for several species and to elucidate results in light of recent taxonomy.MethodsA morphological examination of adult specimens was made using basic characteristics for distinguishing species: terminalia in males and females, head and pronotum patterns, penial morphology, and egg structures. DNA barcoding was applied to many specimens to help circumscribe known species, identify cryptic or yet undescribed species, and to construct a preliminary phylogeny for Croatian stoneflies.ResultsSequences (658 bp in length) of 74 morphospecies from all families present in Croatia were recovered from 87% of the analysed specimens (355 of 410), with one partial sequence of 605 bp in length for Capnopsis schilleri balcanica Zwick, 1984. A total of 84% morphological species could be unambiguously identified using COI sequences. Species delineation methods confirmed the existence of five deeply divergent genetic lineages, with monophyletic origin, which also differ morphologically from their congeners and represent distinct entities. BIN (Barcode Index Number) assignment and species delineation methods clustered COI sequences into different numbers of operational taxonomic units (OTUs). ASAP delimited 76 putative species and achieved a maximum match score with morphology (97%). ABGD resulted in 62 and mPTP in 61 OTUs, indicating a more conservative approach. Most BINs were congruent with traditionally recognized species. Deep intraspecific genetic divergences in some clades highlighted the need for taxonomic revision in several species-complexes and species-groups. Research has yielded the first molecular characterization of nine species, with most having restricted distributions and confirmed the existence of several species which had been declared extinct regionally.

The Stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera) of Israel: Past, Present, Future…?

Of the more than 3900 described species worldwide, stoneflies (order Plecoptera) are represented in Israel, a semi-arid country, by as few as five species. As a group of highly sensitive aquatic insects, they are restricted to the northernmost watershed of the Sea of Galilee, where the most pristine streams in Israel are found. The Israeli stoneflies are not often collected in the field, and they have not been recorded in the literature in the last 30 years. In order to provide an up-to-date picture, I gathered the available historical records of the local fauna, as well as all verified data from the last decade, and compared the two datasets. Despite the unprecedented efforts that have recently been invested in studying freshwater macroinvertebrates in Israel, a sharp decrease in stonefly occurrence is evident. Whilst the populations of three species have dramatically declined (Protonemura zernyi, Leuctra hippopus, and L. kopetdaghi), the remaining two have not been collected at all in over four decades and are considered locally extinct (Brachyptera galeata and Marthamea beraudi). These findings highlight the joint impact of multiple stressors on the stream system in the Sea of Galilee Watershed—namely, stream pollution and water diversion on the local level and climate change on the global level. If the current trends continue, there is a great concern that the entire local stonefly fauna will become extinct, and many stream-dwelling taxa may follow soon after.

Immature Insect Assemblages from the Early Cretaceous (Purbeck/Wealden) of Southern England.

Simple SummaryThe non-marine Lower Cretaceous Purbeck and Wealden rocks of southern England provide an important record of insects that lived alongside the dinosaurs. Most fossil remains are those of adult insects from orders alive today, but immature insects and their trace fossils occur in the same deposits. Terrestrial immatures comprise mostly sessile nymphs of true bugs, whereas the aquatic immature fauna is represented by stoneflies and mayflies (rarely), dragonflies (uncommonly), true bugs and true flies (often common in the Purbeck), and the cases of caddisflies (locally common in the Wealden). These fossils help to shed light on the local palaeoenvironment, such as the salinity of water bodies, as well as on the processes that lead to the fossilization of generally fragile insect remains.The record of immature insects from the non-marine Purbeck and Wealden groups (Lower Cretaceous) of southern England is reviewed and expanded. Fossils of adult terrestrial insects are locally common, but terrestrial immature remains are restricted to transported hemipterans, most of which are sessile nymphs or puparia resembling those of extant whiteflies (Aleyrodidae). Remains of immature aquatic insects are more diverse and comprise the extant orders Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Trichoptera, Hemiptera and Diptera. The Trichoptera are represented by larval cases constructed from a variety of materials corresponding to several ichnogenera. The Wealden immature insects were preserved in predominantly freshwater fluvial settings, whereas the Purbeck ones occur in lagoonal palaeoenvironments, ranging in salinity from brackish to hypersaline. The composition of aquatic immature insect faunas in the latter offers potential for palaeosalinity analysis, although there are complicating factors relating to habitat stability. Uncommon trace fossils such as beetle borings in wood provide evidence of immature insects not represented by body fossils.

Abundance of Aquatic Insects in Spatial Variation of Two Rivers in Perak, Malaysia

The effect of physical factors on the abundance of aquatic insects has been studied in Kuala Woh and Lata Kinjang Rivers, Perak, Malaysia. The focuses are to identify the aquatic insect families, to compare the abundance of aquatic insects in both sampling areas and to investigate the effect of physical factors (water temperature, depth of water, canopy, and water velocity) of both places on the abundance of aquatic insects. The samples were collected by using aquatic net. Physical parameters; water velocity, water temperature, depth and canopy cover have been measured in situ and recorded. A total of 278 individuals classified into 6 orders and 9 families of aquatic insects were identified from two sampling sites. The largest percentage of samples collected is from order Plecoptera 62.6%, followed by Trichoptera 15.8%, Hemiptera 10.8%, Ephemeroptera 7.9%, Odonata 1.4% and Coleoptera 1.4%. The aquatic insects collected from Kuala Woh have the highest abundance of 214 individuals from 6 orders and 9 families compared to Lata Kinjang which only have 64 individuals from 5 orders and 6 families. Chi-square test value (23.494) indicated significant association between different sampling areas and abundance of aquatic insects, P value = 0.003 (p < 0.05). Kuala Woh has a moderate stream flow (0.17 m/s) of warm water (27°C), with 0.85 m depth and not covered by canopy. Lata Kinjang has faster stream flow (0.84 m/s) with the temperature of 24°C, 0.36 m depth and covered by canopy. The results reveal that the abundance of aquatic insects is high when water temperature increases, low water velocity, deeper water and the area that is not covered by canopy.

Analyzing multiple stressor effects on EPT taxa in a mesocosm experiment with DNA metabarcoding

Multiple stressors diversely and often adversely affect stream ecosystems around the globe. Therefore, understanding multiple stressor effects on different organisms is essential for a better ecosystem understanding, an accurate water quality assessment and improved ecosystem management. However, while multiple stressor effects should be assessed at species level this taxonomic resolution is often not achieved e.g. for stream macroinvertebrates. Due to their high abundance and diversity, species-level identification is often not feasible with morphology‑based approaches. DNA metabarcoding represents an alternative approach for studying multiple stressor interactions at species level. In an outdoor experiment over 10,000 specimens from the insect orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT), which are routinely used as bioindicators, and their responses to stressors were studied. In the experiment salinity, fine sediment deposition and flow velocity were manipulated in a full‑factorial design in 64 mesocosms with two microhabitats each (streambed and leaf litter), resulting in eight replicates per treatment. DNA metabarcoding revealed 122 EPT Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs), from which the most abundant 27 alone showed 14 different response patterns to the applied stressors. The high taxonomic resolution achieved by DNA metabarcoding revealed species specific stressor responses that were hidden at a lower taxonomic resolution. As a prominent example, Rhithrogena semicolorata responded negatively to fine sediment deposition and flow velocity reduction, while Ecdyonurus torrentis (both Heptageniidae, Ephemeroptera) was insensitive to experimental manipulation, highlighting different stressor responses among species within the same family (Fig. 1, Beermann et al. 2020). Even for well-studied organisms such as EPT taxa, this study shows that DNA metabarcoding has the potential to depict response patterns at species or OTU level despite high specimen abundance. Consequently, DNA metabarcoding promises to be a rewarding method when investigating and assessing multiple stressor effects on stream water quality.

Evidence for aposematism in a southern hemisphere stonefly family (Plecoptera: Austroperlidae)

AbstractAposematism is a phenomenon in which defended prey advertise their unprofitability to predators through conspicuous signals. Aposematic (warning) colouration is widespread across numerous insect orders but rarely occurs in insects that inhabit aquatic environments where conditions can impose constraints on visual signal transmission. In the semi‐aquatic insect order Plecoptera (stoneflies), only the terrestrial adult stage of Austroperla cyrene (Austroperlidae) from New Zealand has been suggested to possess aposematic colouration, associated with the presence of hydrogen cyanide and documented unpalatability to predators. Here, we review evidence for the occurrence of aposematic colouration in Australian and South American Austroperlidae based on a synthesis of taxonomic literature and studies examining feeding preferences of predators in aquatic environments. Contrasting black, white and yellow colouration occurs commonly in adult Austroperlidae, and nymphs of several surveyed species were found to be aversive to predators, together suggesting that aposematism may be widespread in this family. The wider prevalence of aposematism in Austroperlidae should be examined further by directly testing the palatability of various species to predators and by analysing the chemical compositions of their defensive secretions. Austroperlid stoneflies offer new potential for understanding the evolution of aposematism in ecological and phylogenetic contexts that have not yet been explored.

Фауна и сообщества донных беспозвоночных реки Урал в пределах Айтуарской степи (Оренбургский государственный степной заповедник)

There are 70 species and forms in the composition of zoobenthos of the river Ural and in water bodies of its floodplain have been identified. Mayflies and chironomids are represented in various ways (13 and 12 species and forms, respectively). Caddisflies (10) and stone flies (7) are rich in species. Among other invertebrates, bivalves (6) and gastropods (5), small-bristled worms (5), non-chironomid dipterans (4), leeches, crustaceans and dragonflies, bugs and beetles were recorded. On sandy-gravel-pebble soils is formed a zoobenthocenosis, dominated by the mayflies Ephoron virgo. They are accompanied by Chironomidae larvae. The biomass of the community varies between of 29.32–31.68 g/m2 with an abundance of 18.1–32.44 thousand ind./m2. In the coastal of the channel is formed a pelophilic zoobenthocenosis, the basis of it abundance and biomass are constituted by the small-bristle worms Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri. They are accompanied by mollusks Stagnicola palustris and mysids P. lacustris. The biomass of the pelophilic community is 13.68 g/m2 with a population of 15.45 thousand ind./m2. In floodplain water bodies are formed pelophilic zoobenthocenoses, the biomass of which varies in the range of 19.2–34.24 g/m2 with an abundance of 5.64–30.04 thousand ind./m2. Chironomid larvae constitute the base of the population. The biomass is composed by dragonflies Libellula sp., Chironomids, and mollusks Bithynia tentaculata.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS ON SPECIES COMPOSITION OF AQUATIC INSECTS IN DAI DINH TOWN, TAM DAO DISTRICT, VINH PHUC PROVINCE

In this study, specimens were collected at 5 different sites. The aquatic insects were collected both quantitatively by Surber net (size 50 cm × 50 cm, mesh size 0.2 mm) and qualitatively by hand net and pond net. A field survey was conducted in December 2019 (dry season) and in June 2020 (rainy season). The study aims to show the preliminary data on faunas and communities of aquatic insects in Dai Dinh town, Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc province. As a result, a total of 91 aquatic insect species belonging to 76 genera, 44 families, and 9 orders were recognized. Among these, the order Ephemeroptera had the highest species number with 32 species; followed by order Trichoptera with 18 species; order Odonata with 16 species; order Coleoptera with 8 species; order Hemiptera and Diptera with 6 species, each; order Plecoptera with 3 species. Order Lepidoptera and Megaloptera had the lowest of species number, represented by 1 species for each order. Besides, the quantitative analysis results and the functional feeding groups were provided in this study.

The complete mitochondrial genome analysis of a stonefly, Acroneuria carolinensis (Plecoptera: Perlidae)

We sequenced and annotated the species of Acroneuria carolinensis which is the second species representative of the genus Acroneuria to provide mitochondrial genome data for order Plecoptera. The complete mitochondrial genome of A. carolinensis was 15,718 bp in length and possessed 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and one control region. The A + T account of the whole genome, PCGs, tRNAs, rRNAs, and the control region was 64.6%, 62.7%, 67.8%, 68.6%, and 73.9%, respectively. Ten PCGs used the normal start codon except ND2, ND5, and ND1 used the exceptional GTG and TTG as start codon. All PCGs stopped with the terminal codon TAN, but only COII gene used the single T––. The phylogenetic tree was based on the PCG12R matrix (including PCGs first and second codons and two rRNAs) by Bayesian inference (BI) method and we found that the genus Acroneuria and Sinacroneuria were clustered in a clade.

Citizen Science Data Show Temperature-Driven Declines in Riverine Sentinel Invertebrates

We used the presence and absence data of sentinel invertebrates (stonefly, order Plecoptera) collected by citizen scientists over 17 years to approximate trends in stream health in urban Detroit, M...

Retention of cervical and abdominal gills in the adult of a new fossil stonefly (Insecta, Plecoptera, Petroperlidae) from mid-Cretacous Burmese amber

A new stonefly genus and species, Branchioperla ianstewarti gen. et sp. nov., is described based on a single adult female specimen from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, and attributed to the extinct family Petroperlidae. Its high extent of adult gill retention is a remarkable morphological trait exhibited by the new species. Although the specimen described herein represents a winged terrestrial life stage, it retains tufts of branched gill filaments similar to larval gills on several body parts, including the first eight abdominal segments; a pattern which is unique within the order Plecoptera. The extent of adult gill remnants is evaluated as highly variable within Petroperlidae, probably subject to selective pressures resulting from microhabitat partitioning among various species of this Cretaceous family.