Plecoptera sp. (order)

Unidentified Stone fly at Ainslie, ACT

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Identification history

Triplectides sp. (genus)	29 Dec 2020	Bron
Plecoptera sp. (order)	21 Aug 2020	Alice
Plecoptera sp. (order)	21 Aug 2020	jb2602
Leptoceridae sp. (family)	20 Aug 2020	jb2602
Leptoceridae sp. (family)	20 Aug 2020	Alice
Leptoceridae sp. (family)	20 Aug 2020	jb2602

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11 comments

Alice wrote:

20 Aug 2020

I think I managed to delete a previous ID. Apologies. It may be a species of Triplectides as it was identified, but impossible to confirm that.

jb2602 wrote:

20 Aug 2020

So should I have put Leptoceridae sp (family) or Triplectides sp (genus) Alice?

Alice wrote:

20 Aug 2020

I suggest for this one, just family name, John. If you can see the wing venation clearly it is easy enough to verify members of the genus Tripectides -- they have a neatly concave crossvein on the discoidal cell in the forewing.

Alice wrote:

21 Aug 2020

Some where I noted a comment saying that the person disagrees with this ID. Now having looked very closely, I think they are right. It is probably a stonefly (Order Plecoptera). Alice

Bron wrote:

29 Dec 2020

This is a caddisfly John. The hairy looking scales around the neck are distinctive. Cheers Bron

Alice wrote:

30 Dec 2020

Bron, You are right. Triplectides sp. But just to continue the discussion! Few caddisflies have any scales. A very few of the family Hydroptilidae (i.e. microcaddisflies) and some of the leptocerid genus Oecetus have wing scales, but no Australian Triplectides species. But nor do any stone flies that I know of.

Bron wrote:

30 Dec 2020

Thanks Alice What's the stuff around caddiflies' 'neck' area, if not scales, are they hairs? :). Just curious...

Alice wrote:

31 Dec 2020

Just hairs. Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) and Trichoptera (caddisflies) are what is known as 'sister groups', meaning that they shared a recent ancestor, and one of the major distinctions is that moths and butterflies have scales on the adult body and wings, caddisflies have hairs (with the exception of a very few that have small patches of scales). Other differences are that caddisflies have aquatic larvae (living in freshwater), and moths and butterflies are terrestrial (save for just a few that have aquatic larvae). Have you seen the larvae of caddisflies? Some of them are very neat, building intricate cases. If you search online you can probably find the fascinating efforts of Hubert Duprat. There are always exceptions to the rule, and larvae of 3 species of caddisfly live and feed in the sea. At low tide one species can be found on rock platforms among seaweed on the coast from Sydney south to at least Broulee.

Bron wrote:

31 Dec 2020

Fascinating, and interesting gold caddis-case! I've just developed an interest in pond life and found my first caddisfly larva (made from reed) in the new Melba wetlands. I'm now looking for more. Any suggestions?

Alice wrote:

1 Jan 2021

Hello Bron
They are fascinating creatures. In the Melba Wetlands you will probably find mostly Leptoceridae (long-horned caddisflies). You might find some species that live in a single hollowed out stem, others that cobble together a few pieces of stem, and even some that make very neat cases of spirally arranged pieces of root or stem -- a kind of log cabin effect! You may find a few microcaddisflies if you search hard, but they are so tiny and often very hard to find. Sometimes you might find some in amongst filamentous green algae. I looked at a few loose rocks in Tidbinbilla River this morning to see what was there, but on the surface only a few caddisfly larvae in coarse sand grain cases, and some pupae attached to the under surface of the stones. A Canadian research worker wrote a book on caddisfly larvae that he called "Caddisflies: the Underwater Architects". If you contact me on my gmail account, I can send you some images and papers [caddisalice@gmail.com]

Bron wrote:

11 Jan 2021

Hi Alice
Thanks.
Sorry for the delay - I put together an album of the different caddisflies I've photographed for your interest. I'll email you a link :).

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