Stoneflies - Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae of Gunnison County, Colorado
IntroductionGreen stoneflies, Little yellow stoneflies
Updated 15 January 2026
Provisional Species List
Alloperla pilosa
Alloperla_severa
Paraperla frontalis
Plumiperla diversa
Suwallia dubia
Suwallia lineosa
Suwallia pallidula
Suwallia sierra
Suwallia starki
Suwallia wardi
Sweltsa albertensis
Sweltsa borealis
Sweltsa coloradensis
Sweltsa fidelis
Sweltsa lamba
Triznaka pintada
Triznaka signata
Good Links
On this website:
Key to Chloroperlidae nymphs
Other Websites:
Photos, Map, Taxon Identifier Numbers - from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility Chloroperlidae at GBIF
Photos, Map, Museums, DNA - Barcode of Life Data System
References
Baumann,RW, Gaufin,AR and Surdick,RF 1977 The stoneflies (Plecoptera) of the Rocky Mountains. Memoirs of the American Entomological Society 31, 1-208. PDF
Quoted from page 165: "The family Chloroperlidae in the Rocky Mountains comprises two subfamilies, eight genera and twenty-three species.
Most chloroperlid adults can be distinguished from other stoneflies by their reduced wing veination, oval pronotum and delicate yellow, green or olive drab coloration. The genus Ultaperla, however, is sometimes confused with the genus Capnia by inexperienced students because of its dark coloration. Forking in the second anal vein of the forewing easily separates the chloroperlids from the perlodids.
The nymphs of Chloroperlidae differ from those of other families in Systellognatha by their short cerci, lack of distinct color patterns, rounded wing pads and complete absence of external gills(figs 15, 478). The body is tubular-shaped and bristled; well adapted to burrowing in the fine gravel of streambeds."
Brinkman,SF and Johnston,WD 2012 Acute toxicity of zinc to several aquatic species native to the Rocky Mountains. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 62(2), 272-281.
Pennack,RW and Ward,JV 1986 Interstital faunal communities of the hyporheic and adjacent groundwater biotopes of a Colorado mountain stream. Archiv für Hydrobiologie Suppl. 74 (3) 356-396.
They found Chloroperlidae nymphs in the hyporheic zone of the South Platte river in the Front Range of Colorado at 1863 meters elevation.
South,EJ; Skinner,RK; DeWalt,RE; Davis,MA; Johnson,KP; Teslenko,VA; Lee,JJ; Malison,RL; Hwang,JM; Bae,YJ and Myers,LW 2021 A new family of stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera), Kathroperlidae, fam. n., with a phylogenomic analysis of the Paraperlinae (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae). Insect Systematics and Diversity, 5(4), p.1. PDF
Abstract: "Recent molecular analyses of transcriptome data from 94 species across 92 genera of North American Plecoptera identified the genus Kathroperla Banks, 1920 as sister group to Chloroperlidae + Perlodidae. Given that the genus Kathroperla has historically been included as a member of the family Chloroperlidae, this discovery indicated further investigation of the genus and the subfamily Paraperlinae was needed. Both transcriptome and genome sequencing datasets were generated from 32 species of the infraorder Systellognatha, including all described species of the Paraperlinae, to test the phylogenetic placement of these taxa. From these datasets, a large phylogenomic data matrix of 800 orthologous genes was produced, and multiple analyses were conducted, including both concatenated and coalescent analyses. Morphological comparisons were made among all Paraperlinae using light microscopy. All molecular results support a monophyletic Kathroperla, which is supported as sister taxon to the remaining Perloidea by five of six molecular analyses. Postocular head length is determined to be a distinct morphological character of this genus. Combined molecular and morphological evidence support the designation of Kathroperlidae, fam. n., as the seventeenth family of extant Plecoptera."
Stewart,KW and Zeigler,DD 1984 Drumming behavior of twelve North American stonefly (Plecoptera) species: First descriptions in Peltoperlidae, Taeniopterygidae and Chloroperlidae. Aquatic Insects. 6(1) 49 - 61.
Abstract: "Previously unreported drumming signals of 11 species in the families Peltoperlidae, Taeniopterygidae, Capniidae, Perlodidae and Chloroperlidae are described, and signals of a 12th species, Isogenoides zionensis, are further described. Drumming in four Soliperla species was of two basic types; the diphasic male calls and long first-phase beat intervals of S. fenderi were in marked contrast to monophasic call and shorter beat intervals of other males. Females of three Soliperla would drum without a male call. The Taeniopteryx nivalis signals were generally similar to two other known Taeniopteryx in: (1) monophasic nature of the male call, and (2) number of beats in the male call, female answer and male response. Beat intervals were distinctly different from other species at comparable temperatures. Calliperla luctuosa male calls were arranged in a series of one- or two-beat groupings, a pattern basically similar to several other Perlodidae. Drumming of Isogenoides zionensis is the most complex known in the Plecoptera. Male-female exchanges began as interspersed signals, then changed to sequenced 3-way signals. During the interspersed portion male calls consisted of 11 beats in 3-4 groupings, within which the female answer was spaced. Both chloroperlids, Kathroperla perdita and Paraperla frontalis, had di-phasic male calls, with 6.1 ± 0.7 and 74 ± 10.6 beats, respectively, in the first phases, and with distinctly different beat intervals. Males of other species analyzed included Isocapnia grandis, Helopicus nalatus and Isogenoides elongatus."
Surdick,Rebecca F 1985 Nearctic Genera of Chloroperlinae (Plecoptera:Chloroperlidae). University of Illinios Press, Urbana, IL. 146 pages.
Surdick,Rebbeca F 1995 New western nearactic Sweltsa (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae). Proceedings of the Entomolological Society of Washington 97(1), 161-177.
Ward,JV, Kondratieff,BC and Zuellig,RE 2002 An Illustrated Guide to the Mountain Stream Insects of Colorado. 2nd ed. University Press of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado. 219 pages.
Illustration of Chloroperlidae nymph on page 74, figure 36.
Zwick,P 2006 New family characters of larval Plecoptera, with an analysis of the Chloroperlidae: Paraperlinae. Aquatic Insects, 28:13-22.
Abstract: "Larval structures diagnostic of several Plecoptera families, subfamilies or genera are described and illustrated. They concern the following: distinction of larval Leuctridae from Capniidae; an additional apomorphy of Nemouridae; a synapomorphy of Perlidae and Perlodidae; monophyly of each of the two subfamilies of Chloroperlidae, and the generic limits among Chloroperlidae: Paraperlinae. Paraperla lepnevae Zhiltzova is transferred to Utaperla. Some comments on Notonemouridae are included."
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