The Peltoperlidae, also known as roach-like stoneflies or roachflies, are a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

stoneflies Plecoptera is an order of insects commonly known as stoneflies. Some 3,500 species are described worldwide, with new species still being discovered. Stoneflies are found worldwide, except Antarctica. Stoneflies are believed to be one of the most ...

. The family Peltoperlidae comprises 11 genera and 46 known species. Species are semivoltine, meaning their lifecycles last one to two years. Adults of the family usually emerge in late spring or early summer, April through June. Larvae are flattened and brown in color, and they are roach-like in appearance because of the expanded thoracic plates covering the bases of their legs, heads, and abdomens. Tapering

gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

s occur on the

thorax The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

at the bases of the

legs A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element cap ...

. These tracheal gills are multifunctional and key to many biological processes. No dense tufts or branching gills are found on their thoraces or abdomens, unlike other

Plecoptera Plecoptera is an order (biology), order of insects commonly known as stoneflies. Some 3,500 species are described worldwide, with new species still being discovered. Stoneflies are found worldwide, except Antarctica. Stoneflies are believed to b ...

families. The larvae also possess broad, chisel-like mandibles. Adults have two

ocelli A simple eye or ocellus (sometimes called a pigment pit) is a form of eye or an optical arrangement which has a single lens without the sort of elaborate retina that occurs in most vertebrates. These eyes are called "simple" to distinguish the ...

in addition to their two

compound eyes A compound eye is a visual organ found in arthropods such as insects and crustaceans. It may consist of thousands of ommatidia, which are tiny independent photoreception units that consist of a cornea, lens, and photoreceptor cells which distin ...

. Male epiprocts are sclerotized and rod-like in shape, and both sexes lack cross-veins in the anal lobe of the forewings. Peltoperlidae are generally

lotic River ecosystems are flowing waters that drain the landscape, and include the biotic (living) interactions amongst plants, animals and micro-organisms, as well as abiotic (nonliving) physical and chemical interactions of its many parts.Angelier ...

erosional and depositional. These habitats are flowing streams marked by

sediment Sediment is a solid material that is transported to a new location where it is deposited. It occurs naturally and, through the processes of weathering and erosion, is broken down and subsequently sediment transport, transported by the action of ...

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes (, ) or collectively tracheophyta (; ), are plants that have lignin, lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They also have a specialized non-lignified Ti ...

s, and

detritus In biology, detritus ( or ) is organic matter made up of the decomposition, decomposing remains of organisms and plants, and also of feces. Detritus usually hosts communities of microorganisms that colonize and decomposition, decompose (Reminera ...

. Roach-like stoneflies are generally found in

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall, or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that has fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituen ...

and debris piles trapped in either riffles or pools. This family is considered to be clingers-sprawlers; they attach to surface in erosional habitats or rest loosely on the top surfaces of substrates, respectively. The body of this stonefly is flattened and streamlined to aid in minimizing water resistance in a flowing stream. The Peltoperlidae are classified as in the feeding group shredders-detritivores. They chew and mine through leaf litter in their habitats. They are a significant contributor to leaf breakdown in streams. This family is very sensitive to disturbances in environmental conditions. They are intolerant to loss of coarse particulate organic matter for food and habitat. Given this low tolerance, Peltoperlids make potential

bioindicators A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other sma ...

Genera

These 10 genera belong to the family Peltoperlidae: * '' Cryptoperla'' Needham, 1909 * '' Microperla'' Chu, 1928 * '' Peltoperla'' Needham, 1905 * '' Peltoperlopsis'' Illies, 1966 * '' Peltopteryx'' Stark, 1989 * '' Sierraperla'' Jewett, 1954 * '' Soliperla'' Ricker, 1952 * '' Tallaperla'' Stark & Stewart, 1981 * '' Viehoperla'' Ricker, 1952 * '' Yoraperla'' Ricker, 1952

References

Insects of North America Plecoptera families {{Plecoptera-stub