Rolled-wing stoneflies

Definition

A family of small to medium stoneflies (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) distinguished by wings that fold tightly around the body at rest, giving a cylindrical, cigar-like silhouette. Adults typically inhabit cool, well-oxygenated streams and are most active during autumn and winter. Larvae are primarily detritivores and shredders in leaf litter of headwater streams.

Etymology

Common name refers to the diagnostic resting posture with wings tightly rolled around the abdomen, unlike the flat, roof-like wing posture typical of most stoneflies.

Example

Leuctra ferruginea, a common rolled-wing stonefly in eastern North American streams, emerges in late autumn when few other Plecoptera are active.

Synonyms

• Leuctridae

Related Terms

• Plecoptera
• stonefly
• plecopteran wing posture
• Detritivore
• shredder
• headwater stream ecology

Usage Notes

The common name is descriptive and widely used in North American entomology; the family Leuctridae is cosmopolitan but most diverse in the Holarctic. Contrast with 'flat-winged stoneflies' such as Perlidae and Perlodidae, which hold wings flat over the body. Larvae are often collected from submerged wood and leaf packs in riffles.