Aquatic Insects of Michigan
by Ethan Bright, Museum of Zoology Insect Division and School of Natural Resources and Environment
University of Michigan
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- Keys/Identification
- Aquatic Insects of Michigan
Nemouridae (Forestflies) of Michigan - Identification
Introduction
[under construction]
Adults
(adapted from Hitchcock 1974 (Ricker 1952), Stewart and Harper 1996)
| 1a | Gill remnants on cervix (neck region), each gill composed of 5-18 branches and divided down to base |
Amphinemura Ris, 2 |
| also: Male paraprocts with 3 lobes, and cerci unmodified; female Ab7 sternum broadly rounded, not covering all of Ab8 sternum | ||
| 1b | No gill remnants on cervix | 5 |
| 2a(1a) | a. Epiproct and paraprocts modified | Males, 3 |
| b. Ab8 not modified as a subgenital plate | ||
| 2b | a. Epiproct and paraprocts unmodified | Females, 4 |
| b. Ab8 modified as a subgenital plate | ||
| 3a(2a) | Paraprocts short, not recurved onto Ab10 tergite, inner members armed with only 4-6 spines | Amphinemura linda (Ricker) |
| 3b | Paraprocts long, recurved over at least part of Ab10 tergite, inner members armed with at least 8 spines and much produced posteriorly at bend, where it is thin and compressed, its tip unsclerotized and not recurved | Amphinemura delosa (Ricker) |
| 4a(2b) | Border of subgenital plate with a median notch and small, but with a definite V- or U-shaped lateral notch on either side |
Amphinemura delosa (Ricker) |
| 4a | Border of subgenital plate merely sinuate laterally | Amphinemura linda (Ricker) |
| 5a(1b) | Veins A1 and A2 of forewing joined near the margin | Soyedina vallicularia (Wu) |
| 5b | Veins A1 and A2 of forewing separate | 6 |
| 6a(5b) |
a. Epiproct and paraprocts modified | Males, 7 |
| b. Ab8 not modified as a subgenital plate | ||
| 6b | a. Epiproct and paraprocts unmodified | Females, 11 |
| b. Ab8 modified as a subgenital plate | ||
| 7a(5a) | Cerci sclerotized or enlarged |
8 |
| 7b | Cerci membranous, unmodified | 9 |
| also: Ab9 sternum with a vesicle | ||
| 8a(7a) | Cerci with subterminal spines |
Nemoura trispinosa Claassen |
| 8b | Cerci without spines, but elongated and curved | Ostrocerca albidipennis (Walker) |
| 9a(7b) | Ab10 tergum produced into 2 large lobes covering the cerci |
Shipsa rotunda (Claassen) |
| 9b | Ab10 tergum, if produced, not so enlarged | Prostoia Ricker, 10 |
| also: Epiproct long and simple | ||
| 10a(9b) | Basal processes of epiproct twisted, divergent, and more than half as long as the epiproct |
Prostoia similis (Hagen) |
| 10b | Basal processes of epiproct short (< 1/6x long as epiproct), appressed and easily overlook | Prostoia completa (Walker) |
| 11a(6b) | Ab7 sternum large, extending over Ab8 sternum |
Nemoura trispinosa Claassen |
| 11b | Ab7 sternum short or unmodified | 12 |
| 12a(11b) | Ab8 sternum not extending over Ab9 sternum, and unsclerotized except at margin |
Prostoia Ricker, 13 |
| also: Wings distinctly banded | ||
| 12b | Ab8 sternum extending over Ab9 sternum as a distinct subgenital plate | 14 |
| 13a(12a) | Ab8 sternum distinctly produced laterally, and with a large median notch |
Prostoia similis (Hagen) |
| 13b | Ab8 sternum little, or not at all, produced, and a median notch absent or small | Prostoia completa (Walker) |
| 14a(12a) | Ab8 sternum small |
Shipsa rotunda (Claassen) |
| 14b | Ab8 sternum large | Ostrocerca albidipennis (Walker) |
| also: Ab7 sternum often with a small nipple-like projection | ||
Mature nymphs (adapted from Harper and Hynes 1971, Stewart and Stark 2000)
| 1a | Gills present in the neck region, in ventral view the four anterior thoracic gills with 5 or more filaments originating near their basal trunks |
Amphinemura Ris, 2 |
| also: Gill filaments approximately of equal length, emerging equally from base and usually not secondarily branched | ||
| 1b | Gills absent from neck region | 3 |
| 2a(1a) | Larger bristles on femora and tibiae the same color as the leg, or only slightly darker |
Amphinemura delosa (Ricker) |
| also: Spring species, mature larvae found April-July | ||
| 2b | Larger bristles on femora and tibiae markedly darker than remainder of leg | Amphinemura linda (Ricker) |
| also: Autumn species, mature larvae found late July-October | ||
| 3a(1b) | Pronotum angular at corners and with a definite lateral notch |
Soyedina vallicularia (Wu) |
| 3b | Pronotum with rounded corners and without a lateral notch | 4 |
| 4a(3b) | a. Pronotum with a distinct single, lateral fringe of bristles that are usually about equal in length, sometimes longer on the corners |
Nemoura trispinosa Claassen |
| b. Meso- and metanota and wingpads with a distinct fringe of bristles on the lateral margins | ||
| also: Fore tibia with a combination of numerous bristles and sparse (8-10) fine outer fringe of hairs | ||
| 4b | a. Pronotum with only tiny bristles (except Ostrocerca) and not arranged as a distinct regular lateral fringe | 5 |
| b. Fore tibia with combinations other than numerous bristles and sparse, fine outer fringe hairs | ||
| 5a(4b) | a. Fore tibia with two rows of moderately long robust bristles, and a sparse fringe of fine hairs |
Ostrocerca albidipennis (Walker) |
| b. Pronotum with short, irregularly-spaced marginal bristles | ||
| 5b | a. Fore tibia without distinct rows of robust bristles, and the fringe of fine hairs complete | 6 |
| b. Pronotum with tiny, inconspicuous bristles | ||
| also: Middle and apical cercal segments with dorsal or ventral intersegmental hairs or both, some 0.5x or more as long as segments | ||
| 6a(5b) | a. Tibia with short, stout bristles along their outer margins |
Prostoia Ricker, 7 |
| b. Pronotum relatively shorter, dorsal width greater than its length | ||
| 6b | a. Tibia without stout bristles along the outer margins | Shipsa rotunda (Claassen) |
| b. Pronotum relatively long, length and width about equal | ||
| 7a(6b) | a. Longest marginal bristles on apical abdominal terga aabout 3/4x as long as the corresponding tergum |
Prostoia completa (Walker) |
| b. Intermediate hairs on cercal segments well developed | ||
| c. White spots on head, covering both sides of the Y-ecdysial line | ||
| 7b | a. Longest marginal bristles on apical abdominal terga shorter, about 1/3x as long as the corresponding tergum | Prostoia similis (Hagen) |
| b. Intermediate hairs on cercal segments poorly , or not at all, developed | ||
| c. White spots on head restricted to the area posterior to Y-ecdysial line | ||
References
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Harper PP, Hynes HBN. 1971. The nymphs of the Nemouridae of eastern Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology 49:941-947.
Hitchcock SW. 1974. Guide to the Insects of Connecticut. Part VII. The Plecoptera or stoneflies of Connecticut. State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut Bulletin 107:1-262.
Ricker W. 1952. Systematic studies in Plecoptera. Indiana University Publication Science Series 18:1-200.
Stewart KW, Harper PP. 1996. Plecoptera, pp. 217-266 in Merritt RW, Cummins KW (eds.). An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America, 3rd Edition. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company: Dubuque, Iowa.
Stewart KW, Stark BP. 2002. Nymphs of North American stonefly genera. Second Edition. The Caddis Press: Columbus, Ohio. xii + 510 p.
Page created: November 30, 2003; Last edited: November 07, 2013 (EB)