Stoneflies - Plecoptera: Nemouridae of Gunnison County, ColoradoMalenka flexura - Twisted Forestfly(Claassen 1923)Updated 9 January 2026
TSN 102579 NotesThe genus Malenka was previously named Nemoura. Older publications may refer to this species as Nemoura flexura.Good LinksOn this website:Malenka Introduction Other Websites: Photos, Map, Taxon Identifier Numbers - from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility Malenka flexura at GBIF Photos, Map, Museums, DNA - Barcode of Life Data System ReferencesBaumann,RW, Gaufin,AR and Surdick,RF 1977 The stoneflies (Plecoptera) of the Rocky Mountains. Memoirs of the American Entomological Society 31, 1-208. PDFQuote from page 32: "This species occurs commonly in springs, creeks and small rivers. The adults emerge from March to December. " They show M. flexura is present in Gunnison County. Cao,J; Guo,X; Guo,C; Wang,X; Wang,Y and Yan,F 2022 Complete mitochondrial genome of Malenka flexura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) and phylogenetic analysis. Genes, 13(5), p.911. PDF Abstract: "The genus-level relationships within the subfamily Amphinemurinae have been controversial, although attempts have been made based on morphology and limited molecular data. With the establishment of two new genera, the phylogenetic relationships within Amphinemurinae should be re-examined. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Malenka flexura of the genus Malenka was firstly sequenced and analyzed. The phylogeny of Amphinemurinae was also reconstructed using 13 protein coding genes (PCGs) from previously published stoneflies. This mitogenome was 15,744 bp long and encoded the typical 37 genes, as well as a putative control region. The gene arrangement of M. flexura mitogenome is identical with the putative ancestral mitogenome in Drosophila yakuba. Most PCGs used standard ATN as start codons and TAA/TAG as termination codons. All tRNA genes exhibited the typical cloverleaf secondary structure, except for tRNASer(AGN), whose dihydrouridine (DHU) arm was lacking. Some structural elements in the control region were founded, such as tandem repeat regions, stemloop structures, polyN stretch and microsatellite structure, etc. Phylogenetic analyses of sequenced Amphinemurinae mitogenomes unsupported the sister relationship of Amphinemura and Malenka. Finally, the phylogenetic analyses inferred a relationship within Amphinemurinae: Amphinemura + (Malenka + (Protonemura + (Indonemoura + (Sphaeronemoura + Mesonemoura))))." Claassen,PW 1923 New species of North American Plecoptera. Canadian Entomologist (55) 257-263, 281-292. Jones,TS and Resh,VH 1988 Movements of adult aquatic insects along a Montana (USA) springbrook. Aquatic insects, 10(2), 99-104. PDF Abstract: "The occurrence and movement patterns of adult insects along a forested springbrook near Flathead Lake, Montana, USA, were studied during three 15-day periods from 19 June through 9 August 1985, using a two-sided Malaise trap. Of the Plecoptera, numbers of males and gravid females of Malenka flexura gravid females of Zapada frigida and total numbers of Paraperla wilsoni were significantly higher for downstream-flying adults during one to three periods. Of the Trichoptera, numbers of males of Anagepetus debilis were significantly higher for upstream flying adults during one period, and males of Lepidostoma cascadense and gravid females of L. spicata were significantly higher for downstream-flying adults during another period. In none of the 26 species examined in these three orders did females show a statistically significant pattern of upstream flight." Kondratieff,BC and 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: "The type locality of this species is Boulder County. It has a spotty distribution, which corresponds to it's affinity for habitats influenced by spring-fed water sources." Marden,JH and Kramer,MG 1994 Surface-skimming Stoneflies: A possible intermediate stage in insect flight evolution. Science, 266(5184) 427-430. PDF Discusses Malenka flexura as Nemoura flexura. Abstract: "Insect wings appear to have evolved from gills used by aquatic forms for ventilation and swimming, yet the nature of intermediate stages remains a mystery. Here a form of nonflying aerodynamic locomotion used by aquatic insects is described, called surface skimming, in which thrust is provided by wing flapping while continuous contact with the water removes the need for total aerodynamic weight support. Stoneflies surface skim with wing areas and muscle power output severely reduced, which indicates that surface skimming could have been an effective form of locomotion for ancestral aquatic insects with small protowings and low muscle power output." Stewart,KW and Stark,BP 2002 Nymphs of North American Stonefly Genera. 2nd edition The Caddis Press, Columbus, Ohio. 510 pages. Illustration of nymph on page 190-191, figure 9.5-9.6 Williams,MC; Lichtwardt,RW 1987 Two new Trichomycete species from Zapada spp. (Stonefly) nymphs with an unusual distribution. Mycologia 79, 473-478. They found the Trichomycete fungus Genistelloides helicoides in the hindguts of M. flexura. Zuellig,RE; Heinold,BD; Kondratieff,BC and Ruiter,DE 2012 Diversity and Distribution of Mayflies (Ephemeroptera), Stoneflies (Plecoptera), and Caddisflies (Trichoptera) of the South Platte River Basin, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, 1873-2010. U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 606, 257 p. PDF - caution 46MB Quote from page 48: "Malenka flexura originally was described from Boulder, Colorado (Claassen, 1923), although this species is not commonly reported from the SPRB. It typically occurs in seeps, streams, and small rivers (Baumann and others, 1977)." The elevation range is 8,550-11,200 feet and the adults emerge from June-August. Brown,WS 2004 Plecoptera or Stoneflies of Gunnison County, Colorado www.gunnisoninsects.org "Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." -- Henry David Thoreau |