Stonefly (Plecoptera)



English and Scientific Name: Stoneflies (Plecoptera)

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Observation: I saw this in during one of my many trips to Dunkin Donuts.  It was poised on the menu while I was ordering my items.  I immediately thought it was a grasshopper but after researching I found out that it wasn’t.  I realize so often if we are familiar with an organism if we see something that looks similar to the one we’re familiar with we automatically classify it as the familiar organism.  There are a myriad of organisms that we are just so unfamiliar with their existence.

Questions:

1.      Can it hear me?

2.      How did it end up here?

3.      Can they live in water?

Scientific Research:

Allan, J. David. Feeding Habits and Prey Consumption of Three Setipalpian Stoneflies (Plecoptera) in a Mountain Stream, Ecology, Vol. 63, No. 1 (Feb., 1982), pp. 26-34. Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1937027

Can they live in water?

Yes they can live in water but they cannot live in polluted water so if residing in water it has to be fresh water.

Websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plecoptera
http://bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/bugs/stonefly/stonefly.phtml
http://www.troutnut.com/hatch/13/Insect-Plecoptera-Stoneflies
http://bugguide.net/node/view/76