Thaumatoperla alpina

Last updated

Thaumatoperla alpina
Thaumatoperla alpina.jpg
Habitus photograph of Thaumatoperla alpina, Falls Creek, Victoria.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Plecoptera
Family: Eustheniidae
Genus: Thaumatoperla
Species:
T. alpina
Binomial name
Thaumatoperla alpina
Burns & Neboiss, 1957

Thaumatoperla alpina is a species of stonefly in the genus Thaumatoperla , [1] and are the largest Australian stonefly. [2] They are endemic to the Bogong High Plains area of the Victorian alps, Australia. [3]

Contents

Description

Large insect, females 36–44 mm (excluding antennae and cerci), males generally smaller.

As adult: Two pairs of wide, black membranous wings, the posterior wings having a dark-blue iridescence. [1] Head and legs black. The prothorax is large, oval-shaped and orange and with a distinct black marking in the centre of the pronotum. The cylindrical abdomen is slightly flattened dorsally and pale yellowish-grey with black markings. [1] Two large black cerci and two long black antennae.

They are incapable of flight. [2]

Distribution

Thaumatoperla alpina are endemic to the Bogong High Plains of the Victorian alpine area in south-eastern Australia. [3] Genetic analyses indicate that there are three sub-populations separated by the three main catchments: West Kiewa, East Kiewa and Mitta Mitta. [3]

Habitat

T. alpina inhabit alpine riparian heathland. Nymphs live in the hyporheic zone of mountain streams. [3] Where introduced rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are absent, T. alpina nymphs are the top-level stream predators. [4]

Life history

T. alpina spend approximately three years as nymphs. [2] They emerge as adults in January - April. [3]

Etymology

From Latin Alpinus, referring to their alpine habitat.

Conservation Status

Listed as Threatened under the EPBC Act 1999 and Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine National Park</span> Protected area in Victoria, Australia

The Alpine National Park is a national park located in the Central Highlands and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. The 646,000-hectare (1,600,000-acre) national park is located northeast of Melbourne. It is the largest National Park in Victoria, and covers much of the higher areas of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria, including Victoria's highest point, Mount Bogong at 1,986 metres (6,516 ft) and the associated subalpine woodland and grassland of the Bogong High Plains. The park's north-eastern boundary is along the border with New South Wales, where it abuts the Kosciuszko National Park. On 7 November 2008 the Alpine National Park was added to the Australian National Heritage List as one of eleven areas constituting the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plecoptera</span> Order of 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 primitive groups of Neoptera, with close relatives identified from the Carboniferous and Lower Permian geological periods, while true stoneflies are known from fossils only a bit younger. Their modern diversity, however, apparently is of Mesozoic origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiewa River</span> River in Victoria, Australia

Kiewa River, a perennial river that is part of the Murray catchment within the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the Alpine bioregion, in the Australian state of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Bogong</span> Highest mountain in Victoria, Australia

Mount Bogong,, located in the Alpine National Park and part of the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, is the highest mountain in Victoria, Australia, at 1,986 metres (6,516 ft) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Alps</span>

The Victorian Alps, also known locally as the High Country, is a large mountain system in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria. Occupying the majority of eastern Victoria, it is the southwestern half of the Australian Alps, the tallest portion of the Great Dividing Range. The Yarra and Dandenong Ranges, both sources of rivers and drinking waters for Melbourne, are branches of the Victorian Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bogong High Plains</span> Mountains in Australia

The Bogong High Plains, part of the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, are a section of plains located in the Alpine National Park in the Australian state of Victoria and are situated south of Mount Bogong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme</span>

The Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme is the largest hydro-electric scheme in the Australian state of Victoria and the second-largest in mainland Australia after the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The scheme is situated in the Australian Alps in north-eastern Victoria about 350 kilometres from Melbourne and is wholly owned by AGL Energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallangatta & District Football League</span>

The Tallangatta and District Football League (TDFL) is an Australian rules football competition in north-eastern Victoria and the southern border area of the Riverina region of New South Wales. The clubs compete across four competitions, two of which are age restricted (Under 17s and Under 14s).

Riekoperla darlingtoni, the Mount Donna Buang wingless stonefly, is a species of stonefly in the family Gripopterygidae, which is endemic to Australia.

The Kiewa Valley Highway is a minor highway of 80 kilometres (50 mi) which traverses the Kiewa Valley near the alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. In the 1950s the road was sealed and realigned to Mount Beauty to permit the transport of materials for the construction of the Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme. From Mount Beauty the road continues as the Bogong High Plains Road, a winding and twisty route via the alpine resort of Falls Creek, which terminates at its junction with the Omeo Highway at Shannonvale south of Glen Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Victoria</span> Overview of the geography of Victoria

Victoria is the southernmost mainland state of Australia. With an area of 227,444 km2 (87,817 sq mi), it is Australia's sixth largest state/territory, comparable in size to the island of Great Britain or the U.S. state of Utah. It is bound to the northwest by South Australia, directly north by New South Wales, and also shares a maritime border with Tasmania across the Bass Strait to the south. Most of Victoria's northern border lies along the Murray River. The eastern half of the state is dominated by the Australian Alps and the surrounding highlands of the Great Dividing Range, which also to a lesser extent extend far into the west of the state and ease off after The Grampians. By comparison the north and northwest of the state is extremely flat with little prominence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloroperlidae</span> Family of stoneflies

Chloroperlidae are a family of stoneflies, commonly known as green stoneflies, with more than 200 species and 22 genera. They appear green to yellow in colour, and are popularly used among fisherman as bait for trout fishing. Green stoneflies live in the benthic zone of the cold streams and rivers of five continents and four zoogeographical regions, emerging from the water to live in the riparian zone as adults. They are sensitive to pollutants, making them an indicator species for determining the quality of water bodies. Chloroperlidae are hemimetabolous, having no pupal stage, but instead hatch from eggs as nymphs and mature directly into adults. They are omnivorous, feeding on small organisms and plant particles, and become more carnivorous as they mature. The classification of Chloroperlidae is contested, with some believing that they should be considered as members of different orders, as opposed to the order Plecoptera that they currently belong to.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big River (Mitta Mitta River, Victoria)</span> River in Victoria, Australia

The Big River, a perennial river of the North-East Murray catchment of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the East Gippsland and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. It flows from the northern slopes of Falls Creek in the Australian Alps, joining with the Cobungra River near Anglers Rest to form the Mitta Mitta River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maisie Carr</span> Australian ecologist

Maisie Carr was an innovative Australian ecologist and botanist who contributed much to the understanding of the uniqueness of Australian plants and their environmental systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eustheniidae</span> Family of stoneflies

Eustheniidae is a family of insects in the order Plecoptera, the stoneflies. They are native to Australia, New Zealand, and Chile.

<i>Thaumatoperla</i> Genus of stoneflies

Thaumatoperla is a genus of insect in the family Eustheniidae containing four species of stonefly, all endemic to the Victorian alpine area of Australia.

<i>Thaumatoperla flaveola</i> Species of stonefly

Thaumatoperla flaveola is a species of stonefly in the genus Thaumatoperla. They are endemic to the Mount Buller–Mount Stirling area of the Victoria alps, Australia.

Capnia lacustra, also known as the Lake Tahoe benthic stonefly, is a species of insect in the family Capniidae. It was first described by S.G. Jewett in 1965 and is the only stonefly known to spend its entire adult life underwater.

<i>Stenoperla prasina</i> Species of stonefly endemic to New Zealand

Stenoperla prasina is a species of stonefly belonging to the family Eustheniidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is classified as "Not Threatened" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. It is found on the North, South and Stewart Island / Rakiura Islands as well as on Little Barrier Island. Although adults of this species are most often coloured bright green, this species can be coloured yellow. This species inhabits clean, cold, running streams and rivers with stony bottoms within native bush. It is a known indicator of water quality. The larvae eat plant detritus and other aquatic insects while the adult insects feed on sooty mould fungi as well as other plant matter. The adults of this species are a known food source for New Zealand long tailed bats. Adults have been dissected and have been found to have been carrying Nematomorpha and trematode parasites. The New Zealand Department of Conservation classifies this species as "Not Threatened". In 2022 a specimen of this species was the 5 millionth specimen to be digitised in the Natural History Museum, London collection.

<i>Eusthenia spectabilis</i> Species of stonefly

Eusthenia spectabilis is a very large species of stonefly in the family of giant stoneflies, Eustheniidae. At 4 cm (1.6 in) Eusthenia spectabilis is the largest member of the genus and emerges later than other similar species.

References

  1. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 McKay, S., Bryce, C. & Papas, P. 2005, Impacts of fire on the distribution of a predatory stonefly (Eustheniidae: Thaumatoperla alpina) in the Bogong alpine region. Freshwater Ecology, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Technical Report Series (155), Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne; La Trobe University, Wodonga, Victoria.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Mynott, J.H. 2016, Surveying the threatened species Thaumatoperla alpina across the Bogong High Plains. Final Report prepared for the Department of Land, Water and Planning by The Murray–Darling Freshwater Research Centre (117/2016), retrieved from <https://opal.latrobe.edu.au/articles/book/Surveying_the_threatened_species_Thaumatoperla_alpina_across_the_Bogong_High_Plains/8188715/files/15260393.pdf>.
  4. Bryce, C.L. 2001, Predatory stoneflies (Plecoptera: Eustheniidae) of the Bogong High Plains, Victoria: systematics, distribution, ecology and conservation. Honours Thesis. November 2001. La Trobe University, Wodonga, Victoria.