Stonefly Nymphs Research Articles

The Influence of Temperature on the Bioenergetics of the Carnivorous Stonefly Nymph, Acroneuria californica Banks (Plecoptera: Perlidae)

Eight constant temperature baths, maintained at increments of 2°C, were used in the laboratory to evaluate rates of growth, food consumption, and egestion of the carnivorous stonefly nymph, Acroneuria californica. Oxygen consumption rates were determined using a Gilson differential respirometer. Experimental temperatures were adjusted seasonally to approximate environmental levels. Growth remained constant over the lower temperature range for each experimental period, then decreased rapidly in the upper portion of the temperature range. Food consumption, respiration, and assimilation efficiency increased with increasing water temperature. Energy budgets illustrate the pattern of energy utilization over the experimental temperature ranges evaluated. At temperatures approximating environmental levels, assimilation efficiency was approximately 86%, whereas gross and net growth efficiencies were 33% and 41% respectively. Metabolic losses accounted for approximately 50% of the food consumed. These yearly mean values, however, vary considerably with temperature and stage of nymph development. Optimal temperature ranges for A. californica nymphs were estimated to be 16°—22°C in summer, 10°—18°C in fall, 6°—12°C in winter, and 10°—16°C in spring. Growth rates determined in the laboratory are compared with those in the field.

Some studies on the respiration of stonefly nymph, Paragnetina media (Walker)

The gills of Paragnetina media function as true respiratory organs. The animals with all the thoracic gill removed did not respire more than a few minutes.

Presence of specialized cellular complexes in the tracheal gills of stonefly nymph,Paragnetina media (Walker)

Les coupes ultraminces d'un filament tracheobranchial d'une nymphe de plecoptere ont releve dans l'epithelium branchial des complexes cellularies specialises. Ces complexes sont presents tout le long du bord du filament, juste au-dessous de la cuticule et n'avaient pas encore ete observes chez les plecopteres. Ils ressemblen aux «cellules de chlore» des poissons et a celles des nymphes des ephemeres.

Life History and Ecology of Paragnetina media (Walker) (Insecta: Plecoptera) in Doe Run, Meade County, Kentucky

The life history and ecology of the stonefly Paragnetina media (Walker) was studied intensively at Doe Run, Meade Co., Ky., between September 1965 and August 1966. Nymphs of P. media were almost entirely carnivorous in their feeding habits; adults do not feed. Immature stages of aquatic insects (mainly Baetis vagans, Hydropsyche sp., Cheumatopsyche sp. and chironomids) comprised the most abundant food items in the diet of stonefly nymphs. The percentage of empty stomachs reached its highest levels in December and July. Length- frequency distributions indicate that nymphs require 2 years to complete the life cycle. Mature nymphs were found in the stream in April and May. Emergence began early in May and reached its peak in mid-July. The chi-square test was applied to 477 nymphs and no significant de- parture from the 1: 1 sex ratio at the 0.05 level was observed. Total egg counts ranged from 394 to 1296 per female; the average number of eggs was 802.

Upstream Movements of Benthic Invertebrates in a Lake District Stream

Benthic invertebrates in lotic systems drift downstream in large numbers (see references in Bishop & Hynes 1969a; Waters 1969), but little is known about compensatory upstream movements. In amphibiotic insects the upstream flight of females may partially compensate for the drift of eggs and larvae (Roos 1957). Muller (1954) proposed the term 'Colonization Cycle' for the whole process of females migrating upstream, oviposition near the source of the stream, and larvae drifting downstream. This hypothesis is applicable to some species of Trichoptera (Roos 1957; Waters 1968; Elliott 1969), but imagines of most species fly in the same direction as the wind and show no persistent upstream movement (Elliott 1967; Bishop & Hynes 1969a). An alternative mechanism is the upstream movement of benthic invertebrates, and this is the only possible mechanism for species which are aquatic throughout their lives. Upstream movements have been recorded for gammarid amphipods (Macan & Mackereth 1957; Minckley 1964; Muller 1966; Kureck 1967; Lehmann 1967; Hultin 1968), crayfish (Momot 1966), stonefly nymphs (Stehr & Branson 1938), and mayfly nymphs (Traver 1925; Neave 1930; Harker 1953; Macan 1957; Leonard & Leonard 1962). Ball, Wojtalik & Hooper (1963) studied the upstream dispersion of radiophosphorus in a Michigan stream and concluded that the radiophosphorus was probably carried upstream by benthic invertebrates. These upstream movements were quantitatively unknown and were not related to downstream drift. Recent studies in a Canadian river (Bishop & Hynes 1969b) and in a Swedish stream (Hultin, Svensson & Ulfstrand 1969) have shown that substantial numbers of invertebrates move upstream. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the upstream movements of benthic invertebrates in a stony stream. This work is part of a general study of invertebrate drift and benthos in the Wilfin Beck, a small stony stream in the English Lake District.

Alloperla Stonefly Nymphs: Predators or Scavengers on Salmon Eggs and Alevins?

Abstract Stonefly nymphs have frequently been suspected of being predators or scavengers on salmonid eggs and alevins, and recent studies have particularly emphasized Alloperla nymphs. Live and dead salmon alevins were placed in perforated plastic boxes and buried in spawning riffles of two streams. Most dead alevins disappeared, and more than 50% of the live alevins survived. Nymphs of Alloperla (A. oregonensis and A. borealis) were the most consistently abundant benthic animal in the plastic boxes. Dead eggs and alevins disappeared more rapidly from boxes placed in an area which contained few naturally occurring dead salmon eggs than in areas which contained many. Dead eggs and alevins were eaten, and live eggs and alevins survived when placed in aquaria with Alloperla nymphs. I conclude that the Alloperla nymphs definitely were scavengers and probably not predators on pink salmon eggs and alevins.

Diapause in the Nymphs of Canadian Winter Stoneflies

The nymphs of several winter stoneflies, Taeniopteryx burksi, T. nivalis, Brachyptera fasciata, Capnia manitoba, Allocapnia granulata, A. pygmaea, and A. vivipara, undergo a diapause during the summer. The diapause determines external morphological changes, which are described. This adaptation enables the species to inhabit streams that reach high temperatures or dry up during the summer; its advantages over the more common embryonic diapause are that it permits the nymphs to grow in both spring and fall and to seek a convenient site in which to aestivate.

Size relationships of Acroneuria californica (perlidae, plecoptera) and its prey

Acroneuria californica has a life cycle of three years and nymphs of quite different sizes were present throughout the year. The annual cycle of feeding habits is described. Diptera were heavily consumed in summer and Trichoptera in winter. Ephemeroptera were a regular component of the diet with minor peaks in spring and late summer. A positive relationship is shown between the size of stonefly nymphs and their prey of three insect orders. A size-dependent relationship is also shown in the qualitative nature of the diet. Trichoptera were eaten by large nymphs, Ephemeroptera by those of intermediate size and Diptera by the smallest nymphs. Interactions between prey size and seasonal availability are discussed.

Metoliophilus uvaticus gen. et sp. n. (Lecithodendriidae: Metoliophilinae subf. n.) from the Dipper, Cinclus mexicanus, in Oregon

Metoliophilus uvaticus is described as a new genus and species of intestinal trematode, collected from adult and nestling dippers in Oregon. It is characterized by a covering of integumental scales; ceca of moderate length; cirrus sac mainly anterior and to the left of acetabulum, directed posteriad; genital pores separate but adjacent, submedian, near posterior margin of acetabulum; ovary deeply lobed, between intestinal fork and testes; and tubular excretory vesicle. A new subfamily is erected for this genus. Egg-producing adults were obtained in chicks 5 days after feeding metacercarial cysts from nymphs of the stonefly, Acroneuria pacifica (Banks). After 10 days adult flukes were found in the muscular layer of the bird's intestinal wall. Most nymphs of the large stonefly, Acroneuria pacifica (Banks), collected in the Metolius River near Camp Sherman, Deschutes County, on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains in central Oregon, were found to contain encysted metacercariae. When fed to day-old chicks of Gallus gallus domesticus, these developed in the small intestine into mature trematodes identified as a new species, genus, and subfamily of the Lecithodendriidae. One specimen of this fluke with few eggs was found in a dipper from the same locality; a second specimen without eggs was taken from a dipper collected from Nehalem, near the Oregon coast; and 14 large individuals with numerous eggs were found in one of four nestling dippers collected near the Nehalem River, Clatsop County, about 20 miles upstream from Nehalem. Dippers from streams along the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah County, were negative for this fluke.

Scavenging by Alloperla (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae) nymphs on dead pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum (O. keta) salmon embryos

The relationship between stonefly nymphs of the genus Alloperla and developing pink and chum salmon embryos was studied in Harris River, Alaska, from August, 1965, to April, 1966. Polyethylene containers with alternating layers of salmon eggs and washed gravel and containers with washed gravel only were buried in sections of an upstream spawning riffle and were removed and examined in three sampling periods. Correlation and linear regression analysis of numbers of missing embryos, dead embryos, and stonefly nymphs in the containers supported the hypothesis that the nymphs were scavengers but failed to support the hypothesis that they were predators.Some of the beneficial effects to living embryos of scavenging by nymphs is discussed, as well as the likelihood of occurrence of predation by stonefly nymphs in general.

Habitat and Associated Fauna of Four Species of Fish in Ontario Streams

Four species of fish found in Ontario streams can be divided into two distinct groups on the basis of habitat and associated fauna. Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill) and Cottus bairdi Girard are found associated in cool source waters whereas Ambloplites rupestris (Rafinesque) and Micropterus dolomieui Lacépède occur together in warmer downstream waters. The latter group has more associated species of fish than the former. Some invertebrates such as certain stonefly and mayfly nymphs occur frequently with fish of one group and rarely with fish of the other group. They may be useful as indicators of waters likely to be inhabited by or suitable for the species of fish with which they are frequently associated.

山形県大鳥池周辺渓流のイワナの食性

This report deals with the foods eaten by Salvelinus pluvius which were fished in three streams, namely, the Higashi-zawa, Sawagurumi-zawa, and Otori-gawa, of which the former two were the inflows and the last is the outflow of LakeOtoriike, Yamagata Prefecture. The results of analysis of the contents of twenty-nine stomachs showed that the majority of foods eaten were insects, both aquatic and terrestrial. The aquatic foods are composed chiefly of caddis worms and stonefly nymphs, and in particular the nymph ofScopura longa. The terrestrial foods are represented by ants, wasps, and beetles. The fishes (S. pluvius) of the Higashi-zawa and Sawagurumi-zawa took chiefly aquatic foods which made up 52.9-56.9 volume per cent. of foods eaten, while the fishes of the Otori-gawa ate chiefly terrestrial foods, 47 volume per cent. of foods eaten (Fig.1). The nematode parasite Spiroptera salvelina FUJITA was found in the stomachs. Its parasitic frequency is the highest in the fishes from the Otori-gawa and is the lowest in those from the Higashi-zawa.

A key to the adults and nymphs of British stoneflies (Plecoptera)

Limnology and OceanographyVolume 3, Issue 4 p. 481-481 Book ReviewFree Access A key to the adults and nymphs of British stoneflies (Plecoptera) W. E. RICKER, W. E. RICKER Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Nanainzo, B. C.Search for more papers by this author W. E. RICKER, W. E. RICKER Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Nanainzo, B. C.Search for more papers by this author First published: October 1958 https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1958.3.4.0481AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume3, Issue4October 1958Pages 481-481 RelatedInformation

Food Habits of the Yellowstone Whitefish Prosopium Williamsoni Cismontanus (Jordan)

Abstract A quantitative analysis of the food habits of 385 whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni cismontanus (Jordan)) and 52 trout from the Yellowstone and Gallatin Rivers was made. Collections were taken over a period of 1 year beginning in September, 1947, on the Yellowstone and on the Gallatin Rivers. Fingerling whitefish used the same food organisms as did adults but consumed smaller numbers and sizes. There was no important difference in the kinds of foods eaten by whitefish of different lengths. Caddis larvae and stonefly nymphs made up about equal parts of the whitefish diet. Midges were next in importance and mayflies comprised the smallest volume. Caddisflies and Diptera larvae together constituted 87 percent of the total number of organisms consumed. Whitefish in the Yellowstone ate mostly immature caddisand stoneflies, while the Gallatin fish utilized caddis, fish eggs, Diptera, stoneflies, and mayflies in more nearly equal amounts. Seasonal variations found in the diet of whitefish show that caddi...