Plecoptera: Nemouridae of Gunnison County, ColoradoProstoia besametsa - Banded Forestfly(Ricker) 1952Updated 5 June 2010
TSN 102585 HabitatKnight and Gaufin found that P. besametsa was a cold stenotherm (restricted to cold water), found only at higher elevations in their study of streams in the Gunnison Basin.Locations CollectedStark, Oblad and Gaufin (1973) collected this species in the Taylor River, East Fork of Cimarron Creek, Gunnison River and Sapinero Creek. Knight and Gaufin collected P. besametsa from 8700-9500 feet in the South Fork of the Gunnison Drainage during the early 1960's. This is one of the most common stoneflies in Colorado.NotesThe genus Prostoia was previously included in Nemoura. Older publications may refer to this species as Nemoura besametsa.Good LinksOn this website:Introduction to the Nemouridae Other Websites: Photo - from BugGuide.net Map - Kondratieff, Boris C. and Richard W. Baumann (coordinators). 2000. Stoneflies of the United States. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online. (Version 12DEC2003). http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/sfly/usa/206.htm They show P. besametsa is present in Gunnison County, Colorado. ReferencesBaumann,RW; Gaufin,AR; Surdick,RF 1977 The stoneflies (Plecoptera) of the Rocky Mountains. Memoirs of the American Entomological Society 31, 1-208.Quote from page 38: " This species is common in creeks and small rivers throughout its range. The adults emerge from March to August. " They show P. besametsa present in Gunnison County, Colorado. Canton,SP; Ward,JV 1981 The aquatic insects, with emphasis on Trichoptera, of a Colorado stream affected by coal strip-mine drainage. Southwestern Naturalist 25 4, 453-460. They studied Trout Creek where it runs through the Edna Coal Mine in northwestern Colorado. The mine spoils were 30 meters from the edge of the creek (approximately a 100 foot buffer zone). They found the aquatic insect density (numbers per square meter) and biomass (weight in grams per square meter) did not change above and below the mine. The Shannon-Weaver Diversity index also showed no difference between sites. However the community structure (which species were present and proportions) did change. Since there were irrigation water and cattle influences at their downstream site, their results may reflect these additional water uses. They note the biggest visible change at this mine is the loss of willow and alder trees downstream of the mine. The caddisfly population changed the most between sites, shifting from a mix of families above the mine to dominance by Hydropsychidae and Glossosomatidae below the mine. Prostoia besametsa was most common at the clean, forested, shaded, upstream site. It was probably more common here partly because it is a shredder and needs leaves to eat. Hassage,RL and Stewart,KW 1990 Growth and voltinism of five stonefly species in a New Mexico mountain stream. The Southwestern Naturalist, 35 (2)130-134. Abstract and first page Kiffney,PM 1996 Main and interactive effects of invertebrate density, predation, and metals on a Rocky Mountain stream macroinvertebrate community. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 53(7): 1595–1601 . Knight,AW; Gaufin,AR 1966 Altitudinal distribution of stoneflies (Plecoptera) in a Rocky Mountain drainage system. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 39 4, 668-675. Kondratieff,BC; Baumann,RW 2002 A review of the stoneflies of Colorado with description of a new species of Capnia (Plecoptera: Capniidae). Transactions of American Entomological Society 128 3, 385-401. Quote from page 392: " This is one of the most common stonefly species in Colorado. It is widely distributed throughout the state, associated with medium to large Mountain streams." Nelson,SM; Roline,RA 1999 Relationships between metals and hyporheic invertebrate community structure in a river recovering from metals contamination. Hydrobiologia 397, 211-226. Abstract Ricker, W.E. 1952. Systematic studies in Plecoptera. Indiana University Publications, Science Series 18, 200 pages, Bloomington, Indiana. Stewart,KW; Ricker,WE 1997 The stoneflies of the Yukon. pgs 201–222 in Danks,HV and Downes,JA (Eds.), Insects of the Yukon. Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods), Ottawa. 1034 pp. Quote about the genus Prostoia from page 210: "Nearctic; 3 of the 4 Nearctic species are found in the east, with only Prostoia besametsa found widely distributed in the west, from Alaska and Yukon to California and New Mexico. Adults dark, 5-6 mm, emerging February-March in the Ozark Mountains to March-August at northern latitudes. The herbivorous/detritivorous nymphs are found mainly in coarse particulate organic matter in small streams, and species studied have univoltine, fast life cycles. " Stark,BP; Oblad,BR; Gaufin,AR 1973 An annotated list of the Stoneflies (Plecoptera) of Colorado Part I. Entomological News 84 9, 269-277. |