Family AUSTROPERLIDAE

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Introduction

This family is found in Australia, New Zealand and South America. All five Australian genera are endemic and ten species have been described.

The biology of the Austroperlidae is the least well known of all the Australian families. Nymphs are often associated with organic detritus and wood debris in slowly running water. They burrow into rotten wood, on which they apparently feed, leaving only the end of the abdomen exposed. Crypturoperla nymphs are found in moss on rocks. The life history extends over two to three years, but emergence periods may extend over many months even at a single locality. Little is known of adult behaviour except that adults mostly feed on rotten wood.

Based on the molecular phylogeny of Letsch et al. (2021), the family appears to be paraphyletic and in need of revision.

Diagnosis

Adults: medium-sized (wing span 20–50 mm), with dark bodies and the foremargins of the wings yellowish to reddish-brown or the wings mottled. Wings with regular, strong cross venation in the costal field. Hind wing with 2A always forked; a sloping cross-vien often runs from 3A to posterior branch of 2A. Tip of abdomen of male with rudiment of tergite 11 and terminal filament.

Nymphs: ocelli absent; cerci very short; antennae short, about as long as thorax. Quadrangular pronota, the corners often acutely extended. Paired processes on abdominal terga in Crypturoperla and Acruroperla. One or three simple or beaded gill filaments in membrane between posterior margin tergite 10 and anus; medial gill filament called terminal filament; total of 5 or 7 anal projections.

Eggs: white with some form of jelly coat, sometimes sticky to adhere to the substrate.

General References

Illies, J. 1969. Revision der Plecopterenfamilie Austroperlidae. Entomologisk Tidskrift 90: 19-51

Letsch, H., Simon, S., Frandsen, P., Liu, S., Machida, R., Mayer,C., Misof, B., Niehuis, O., Zhou,X., Wipfler, B. 2021. Combining molecular datasets with strongly heterogeneous taxon coverage enlightens the peculiar biogeographic history of stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera). Systematic Entomology 46: 952-967 [957]

Theischinger, G. & Cardale, J.C. 1987. An illustrated guide to the adults of the Australian stoneflies (Plecoptera). CSIRO Australia. Division of Entomology Technical Paper 26: 1-83

Tillyard, R.J. 1921. A new classification of the order Perlaria. The Canadian Entomologist 53: 35-43

Zwick, P. 1981. Plecoptera. pp. 1171-1182 in Keast, A. (ed.). Ecological Biogeography of Australia. The Hague : Junk Vol. 2.

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