Other Common Names
Sallflies [perhaps an abbreviation of sallowflies due to pale overall color (?)]
Numbers
81 species in 12 genera in North America (
nearctica.com)
Identification
Adult: body and wings greenish, yellowish, or whitish; pronotum nearly oval with front corners broadly rounded; anal lobe of hindwing small and usually with three or fewer veins reaching wing margin behind vein 1A
Nymph: body brown to yellow with no distinct pattern; legs short; cerci on last abdominal segment short (much shorter than length of abdomen); hindwing pads nearly parallel to body; paraglossae extend beyond glossae
(both descriptions adapted from Roger Bland's
How to Know the Insects)
(1).
Habitat
nymphs are aquatic in streams and creeks
adults usually found resting on vegetation near water
Season
adults fly from May to September
Food
some larvae are predaceous; others eat aquatic plant material
Remarks
Historically I believe that the chloroperlids (as Chloroperlinae) were once part of the Perlodidae, but they have been set aside as a separate family for some time now. At least some of the "green-winged stoneflies" (subfamily Isoperlinae)do have a yellowish/greenish anterior margin to the forewing, but never do they have the entire wing a brilliant green, as do the "green stoneflies," the common name for the Chloroperlidae. The current classification is at
… Donald S. Chandler, 25 April, 2008
See Also
adult
Green-winged Stoneflies (Perlodidae; Isoperlinae) have a rectangular pronotum with corners narrowly rounded, and anal lobe of hindwing with five or more veins reaching wing margin behind vein 1A
nymphs of Green-winged Stoneflies have hindwing pads protruding at an angle from the body's axis, and the body is pigmented in a distinct pattern
Print References
Bland, Roger G., and H.E. Jaques. 1978.
How to Know the Insects. 3rd Edition. Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers
(1)Internet References
live adult and nymph images of
Sweltsa hondo and
Sweltsa coloradensis by C. Riley Nelson, plus classification, description, references (Tree of Life, U. of Arizona)
live adult image of undetermined Chloroperlidae (Thomas Ames, New Hampshire)
live adult image of undetermined Chloroperlidae, and other info (R. Bercha, Alberta)
list of species in Michigan (Ethan Bright, U. of Michigan)
habitat and seasonality plus common name reference [Green Stoneflies] (Insects of Cedar Creek, Minnesota)
live nymph image of
Alloperla species by Cheryl Podemski, and other info (Hugh Clifford, U. of Alberta)
close-up larva images of undetermined Chloroperlidae (Govt. of California)
live nymph images of
Sweltsa species and
Neaviperla forcipata by David Larson and Stephanie Estrella (Western Washington U.)
live adult images of
Haploperla brevis and
Alloperla species by C. Riley Nelson (Tree of Life, U. of Arizona)
distribution of species, listing states/provinces of occurrence (Mississippi College)
common name reference [Sallflies] plus common names of many species (Pennsylvania State U.)
