Stoneflies - Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae of Gunnison County, Colorado
Suwallia starki - Stark's SallflyAlexander and Stewart
Updated 5 January 2026
TSN 609891
Notes
There is a male holotype specimen of Suwallia starki in the California Academy of Sciences Entomology Collection.
Good Links
On this website:
Introduction to the Suwallia
Other Websites:
Photos, Map, Taxon Identifier Numbers - from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility Suwallia starki at Gbif
Photos, Map, Museum specimens, DNA - Barcode of Life Data System
Plecoptera Species File
References
Alexander,KD and Stewart,KW 1999 Revision of genus Suwallia Ricker (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae). Transactions of American Entomological Society 125 (3) 185-250.
Describes this species (Suwallia starki) for the first time.
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
Houston,DD; Satler,JD; Stack,TK; Carroll,HM; Bevan,AM; Moya,AL and Alexander,KD 2022 A phylogenomic perspective on the evolutionary history of the stonefly genus Suwallia (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae) revealed by ultraconserved genomic elements. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 166, p.107320. PDF
Abstract: "Evolutionary biologists have long sought to disentangle phylogenetic relationships among taxa spanning the tree of life, an increasingly important task as anthropogenic influences accelerate population declines and species extinctions, particularly in insects. Phylogenetic analyses are commonly used to identify unique evolutionary lineages, to clarify taxonomic designations of the focal taxa, and to inform conservation decisions. Advances in DNA sequencing techniques have increasingly facilitated the ability of researchers to apply genomic methods to phylogenetic analyses, even for non-model organisms. Stoneflies are non-model insects that are important bioindicators of the quality of freshwater habitats and landscape disturbance as they spend the immature stages of their life cycles in fresh water, and the adult stages in terrestrial environments. Phylogenetic relationships within the stonefly genus Suwallia (Insecta: Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae) are poorly understood, and have never been assessed using molecular data. We used DNA sequence data from genome-wide ultraconserved element loci to generate the first molecular phylogeny for the group and assess its monophyly. We found that Palearctic and Nearctic Suwallia do not form reciprocally monophyletic clades, and that a biogeographic history including dispersal, vicariance, and founder event speciation via jump dispersal best explains the geographic distribution of this group. Our results also strongly suggest that Neaviperla forcipata (Neave, 1929) is nested within Suwallia, and the concept of the genus Suwallia should be revised to include it. Thus, we formally propose a new taxonomic combination wherein Neaviperla forcipata (Neave, 1929) is reclassified as Suwallia forcipata (Neave, 1929). Moreover, some Suwallia species (e.g., S. amoenacolens, S. kerzhneri, S. marginata, S. pallidula, and S. starki) exhibit pronounced cryptic diversity that is worthy of further investigation. These findings provide a first glimpse into the evolutionary history of Suwallia, improve our understanding of stonefly diversity in the tribe Suwallini, and highlight areas where additional research is needed."
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 394: "This recently described species is considered by Alexander and Stewart (1999) to be the most widespread species of Suwallia in North America. Suwallia starki apparently has fall emerging populations, and previously reported S. autumna (Hoppe) records for Wyoming by Baumann et al. (1977) refer to S. starki. In Colorado, S. starki has been collected from large and small streams of the Mountain and Plateau regions."
Nelson,CH 2009 Surface ultrastructure and evolution of tarsal attachment structures in Plecoptera (Arthropoda: Hexapoda). Aquatic Insects, (31)523-545. Html
The author used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to image the plantar surfaces of the stonefly tarsomeres and pretarsus of Suwallia starki and a number of other species. Quote from page 534: "
I.2.2.10. Chloroperlidae (Chloroperlinae): Alloperla usa Ricker, 1952
I.2.2.11. Chloroperlidae (Chloroperlinae): Suwallia starki Alexader and Stewart, 1999
I.2.2.12. Chloroperlidae (Chloroperlinae): Triznaka signata (Banks 1935)
Tarsus and pretarsus of representatives of these three genera are closely similar to those of Sweltsa lamba shown in Figure 36, except that the euplantulae, like those of Paraperla frontalis described above, have a smooth surface profile."
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 43: "This recently described species, previously confused with S. pallidula, possibly is the most widespread North American Suwallia species (Alexander and Stewart, 1999)." The elevation range is 7,800-9,800 feet and the adults emerged in September.
subgenital plate |
male tergum 9 |
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