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The Bug Doctor Says......

1K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  DEERHAAWK 
#1 ·
NAME THAT BUG!

On a recent outing to the banks of the beautifull Metolius River, I found an abundance of the LARGE beauties dancing on the water......
 

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#3 ·
Ah, Yes!

As it is one of the Bug Doc,s favorite hangouts! Riverside #9 is on my permenant list of weekend getaway addresses!
But what of the Golden Stone, or as some might refer, the Yellow Sally?
Most stoneflys live in the "cooler" regions of the world. There are, in fact, around 1700 species worldwide, with some 600+ in North America!
They are of the order Plecoptera. In the Greek, that is pleko , or pleat, and ptera , meaning wings!
Stoneflys are an ancient lot, with some fossils dating back 300 million years!
Adults lay eggs in or on the water, or attach them to the underside of rocks. After hatching, the nymphs grow larger through a series of stages, or "instars". Some nymphs reach adulthood in one year, while others take as much as 3 years to mature. Most are vegetarian, but some feed on other aquatic life.
When the nymph reaches adulthood, it crawls to the bank to shed its skin,usually under the cover of darkness. This emergence is determined by temperature and day length. Most adults do not feed. They attract a mate by "drumming" on the plant where they are. Each Stonefly species has a destinct drum and can not attract others from a different species! A single Female can produce up to 6000 eggs in her lifetime!

DID YOU KNOW?

While most stoneflys are good "FLIERS", some have lost there wings all together!

Some species in the Southern Hemisphere live in damp soil!

Biologists use Stoneflys as "indicators" of a particular stream or rivers "Health".
 
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