Family NOTONEMOURIDAE

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Family NOTONEMOURIDAE

Compiler and date details

Frances B. Michaelis and Cathy Yule; updated by Andrew A. Calder, CSIRO Entomology, Canberra, Australia

Introduction

The family Notonemouridae, although confined to the Southern Hemisphere, is the only Australian family of Plecoptera to be derived from an exclusively northern evolutionary line, the Arctoperlaria.

A sister group to the Nemouridae, the family Notonemouridae is found in Australia (including Tasmania), New Zealand, South America, southern Africa and Malagasy. In Australia, six genera, 32 species and four subspecies are recognised. All genera are endemic to Australia, except Notonemoura which is also found in New Zealand. There are two sub-groups: the Austrocercella group (='Aphanicerca' group ='Spaniocerca' group), which contains most Australian and New Zealand genera, although the relationship of the southern African genera to this group is unclear; and the Notonemoura group, which contains several genera from Australia, New Zealand and South America, but the only Australian genus in this group is Notonemoura itself.

Nymphs of Kimminsoperla and Notonemoura live in seepages, springs and hygropetric areas. They have strong hind femora and can climb on vertical surfaces, even against water flow. Other genera are found in cool, often high altitude, lakes and rivers. Nymphs may feed on dead plant material and detritus, and the life cycle of some species is completed in one year. Adults can jump by means of strong hind femora and some, e.g. Austrocerca, fly well. Adults appear to feed. Mating behaviour is uncertain, but drumming, as occurs in northern Arctoperlaria, is not known.

The family appears to be monophyletic based on the molecular results of Letsch et al. (2021).

Diagnosis

Adults: small and dark-coloured. Hind wings with either five or six simple anal veins or 2A forked. Sternite 10 not sclerotised. Paraprocts insert directly behind sternite 9 which in males forms a subgenital plate with gonopore normally situated at its tip. Some females with ovipositors formed by extension of sternites 8 and 9; some have long ovipositor formed by sternite 9 with gonopore at its tip.

Nymphs: gills absent. Long, segmented cerci easily broken. Abdominal segments 2 to 9 are clearly divided into tergum and sternum. Very large hind femora in Notonemoura and Kimminosperla.

Eggs: ovoid with sticky jelly coats. Laid in crevices, except in Austrocerca tasmanica, which species is ovoviviparous.