Thaumatoperla flaveola explained

Thaumatoperla flaveola is a species of stonefly in the genus Thaumatoperla.[1] They are endemic to the Mount BullerMount Stirling area of the Victoria alps, Australia.[2]

Description

Medium-large insect.

As adult: Two pairs of wide, membranous wings. Anterior wings tawny-olive and mottled. Posterior wings deep grey. Head reddish-brown, with darker area in front. Legs dark-brown. The prothorax is yellow-brown, the mesothorax dark-brown, and the metathorax black. The cylindrical abdomen is slightly flattened dorsally and shiny black. Two large black cerci and two long black antennae.

They are incapable of flight.

Distribution

Thaumatoperla flaveola are endemic to the Mount BullerMount Stirling area of the Victoria alpine area in south-eastern Australia. They have not been recorded below 1100m.

Habitat

T. flaveola inhabit alpine riparian heathland. Nymphs live in the hyporheic zone of mountain streams.

Life history

T. flaveola emerge as adults in February - May.

Etymology

From Latin flāvus, referring to their yellowish colouring.

Conservation status

Listed as Threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Notes and References

  1. Burns, A.N., & Neboiss, A. 1957, ‘Two new species of Plecoptera from Victoria’, Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, vol. 212, pp. 91-242
  2. Mynott, J.H. 2016, Surveying the threatened species Thaumatoperla flaveola across the Mount Buller–Mount Stirling massif. Final Report prepared for the Department of Land, Water and Planning by The Murray–Darling Freshwater Research Centre (122/2016), retrieved from .