Thaumatoperla flaveola
Thaumatoperla flaveola is a species of stonefly in the genus Thaumatoperla.[1] They are endemic to the Mount Buller–Mount Stirling area of the Victoria alps, Australia.[2]
| Thaumatoperla flaveola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Thaumatoperla flaveola holotype, Museum Victoria | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Plecoptera |
| Family: | Eustheniidae |
| Genus: | Thaumatoperla |
| Species: | T. flaveola |
| Binomial name | |
| Thaumatoperla flaveola Burns & Neboiss, 1957 | |
Description
Medium-large insect.
As adult: Two pairs of wide, membranous wings. Anterior wings tawny-olive and mottled.[1] Posterior wings deep grey.[1] Head reddish-brown, with darker area in front. Legs dark-brown. The prothorax is yellow-brown, the mesothorax dark-brown, and the metathorax black.[1] The cylindrical abdomen is slightly flattened dorsally and shiny black.[1] Two large black cerci and two long black antennae.
They are incapable of flight.[2]
Distribution
Thaumatoperla flaveola are endemic to the Mount Buller–Mount Stirling area of the Victoria alpine area in south-eastern Australia.[2] They have not been recorded below 1100m.[2]
Habitat
T. flaveola inhabit alpine riparian heathland. Nymphs live in the hyporheic zone of mountain streams.[2]
Life history
T. flaveola emerge as adults in February - April.[2]
Etymology
From Latin flāvus, referring to their yellowish colouring.
Conservation Status
Listed as Threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
References
- 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
- 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 <https://opal.latrobe.edu.au/articles/book/Surveying_the_threatened_species_Thaumatoperla_flaveola_across_the_Mount_Buller_Mount_Stirling_massif/8188721/3>.