INSECTS - The Important Stoneflies of the Order Plecoptera

Plecoptera is an order of insects known as stoneflies. 3,500 species are described worldwide. Stoneflies are found worldwide, except Antarctica. They are believed to be one of the most primitive groups of Neoptera, with close relatives identified from the Carboniferous and Lower Permian geological periods, while true stoneflies are known from fossils only a bit younger.

Plecoptera are found in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, and the populations are quite distinct, although the evolutionary evidence suggests species may have crossed the equator on a number of occasions before once again becoming geographically isolated.

All species of Plecoptera are intolerant of water pollution, and their presence in a stream or still water is usually an indicator of good or excellent water quality. (After Wikipedia)