- Scientific name: Isoperla gibbsae
- Species of Greatest Conservation Need (MA State Wildlife Action Plan)
Description
The Quebec stripetail is a small to medium-sized slender insect belonging to the order Pelocoptera (stoneflies), family Perlodidae (stripetail and springtail stoneflies) and genus Isoperla. Adults are pale yellow with pale head pattern and dark V-bands connecting the ocelli, and wings lying flat along abdomen when at rest. Adults and nymphs are <20 mm (0.8 in) in length. Refer to keys from Szczytko and Kondratieff (2015a, 2015b) for adults, Hitchcock (1974) for nymphs, and Stewart and Stark (2002), Stewart and Stark (2008) for nymphs and adults at the genus-level for definitive identification.
Life cycle and behavior
Little is known about the life history of Quebec stripetail but can be inferred from species from shared genus, family, and/or order taxonomic levels. The life cycle of the swamp forestfly is 1 year consisting of an egg, nymph (i.e. larva), and adult life stages. Eggs cling to substrate via a gelatinous film and other stabilizing mechanism. Eggs hatch into nymphs growing and molting for months. Nymphs are predators and facultative collector-gathers of organic matter, with diet potentially shifting with growth. Nymphs can be found clinging or sprawling on rocks or leaf packs and mosses typically in riffles. The nymphs emerge from the water onto stable substrate (e.g., rocks, vegetation) and transform into winged adults. Adults may be present from April through late June, live for about 1-4 weeks, and disperse upstream, downstream, and into other streams (i.e., <1km; 0.6 mi) within forested upland corridors. For reproduction, males mount females and release sperm internally or externally of the female’s genital pore. After mating occurs, females either release eggs over the water surface or dip their abdomens and deposit them into the water.
Distribution and abundance
The Quebec stripetail has been recorded in Maryland, West Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Quebec, however the species m ay have been misidentified in more southern states. In Massachusetts, the species has been recorded in the western part of the state at a few sites. The species distribution and abundance are data deficient in Massachusetts. Elsewhere, the species has been recorded at low abundances and at few and scattered localities in its range. Quebec stripetail is a 2023 Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need of moderate conservation concern.
Habitat
Quebec stripetail inhabits small to moderate-sized cold-water streams with cobble and gravel substrate. Nymphs are found on stones and in leaf packs in riffle mesohabitat with well-oxygenated water.
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Threats
Degradation of water quality, alteration of streamflows, and upland habitat loss are primary threats to Quebec stripetail. Potential threats to water quality include pollution and sewage overflow, salt and other road contaminant run-off, herbicides and pesticides, and siltation from construction or erosion. The disruption of natural flow regimes by water withdrawals, damming, and stream channelization may have a negative impact on populations. Warming stream temperatures and changes to precipitation regimes from climate change may reduce suitable habitat. Additional threats illegal or accidental industrial discharge and hardening of channel banks and siltation that creates unstable stream habitat.
Conservation
Survey and monitoring
Standardized and targeted surveys for Quebec stripetail is needed to determine its status in Massachusetts. Surveys should target stream sites to determine species occupancy and population status, particularly in western Massachusetts. Multiple site visits (e.g., ≥3) may be required to detect this species. Routine monitoring of prioritized sites is needed estimate occupancy trends overtime.
Management
Upland and stream habitat protection is critical for the conservation of Quebec stripetail. Protection of forested upland borders of these river systems are critical in maintaining suitable water quality and are critical for feeding, resting, and maturation. Development of these areas should be discouraged, and the preservation of remaining undeveloped uplands should be a priority. Alternatives to commonly applied road salts should tested to minimize freshwater salinization. Hardened and channelized stream segments should be restored to promote natural sediment dynamics.
Research needs
Through standardized surveys, effort is needed to define habitat requirements, distribution, relative abundance, phenological timing (e.g., adult emergence), and breeding sites. Research effort is needed to estimate detection and occupancy rates and how other environmental variables (e.g., sample timing, weather) affect these rates. Other research efforts include projections of species distribution under climate change scenarios and climate vulnerability analysis in Massachusetts, since this species occupies cold-water streams.
References
Beaty, S. R. 2015. The Plecoptera of North Carolina: A Biologist’s Handbook for the Identification of Stonefly Nymphs with Standard Taxonomic Effort Levels. Version 4.0. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Resources, Biological Assessment Branch. Raleigh, North Carolina. iv + 91 pp.
Cheney, K.N., A.H. Roy, R.F. Smith, R.E. Dewalt. 2019. Effects of stream temperature and substrate type on emergence patterns of Plecoptera and Trichoptera from northeastern United States headwater streams. Environmental Entomology 48(6):1349-1359.
DeWalt RE, Hopkins H, Neu-Becker U, and Stueber G. Isoperla gibbsae Harper, 1971. Plecoptera Species File. Retrieved on 2025-04-08 at https://plecoptera.speciesfile.org/otus/896563/overview
Harper, P. P. "Plécoptères nouveaux du Québec (Insectes). 1971. Canadian Journal of Zoology 49.5 1971: 685-690.
Hitchcock, S. W. 1974. Guide to the Insects of Connecticut: Part VII. The Plecoptera or Stoneflies of Connecticut. State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut Bulletin 107: 191-211.
Hogan, P.N., and S.A. Grubb. 2022. Distributional trends and species richness of Maryland, USA, Stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera), with an emphasis on the Appalachian region. Ecologies 3(3):395-421.
Szczytko, S.W., and B.C. Kondratieff. 2015a. A review of the eastern Nearctic Isoperlinae (Plecoptera: Perlodidae) with the description of twenty-two new species. Monographs of Illiesia 1:1-289.
Szczytko, S. W. and B. C. Kondratieff. 2015b. A photographic atlas of the Eastern Nearctic Isoperlinae (Plecoptera: Perlodidae) species. Monographs of Illiesia, No. 2: 1-124.
Contact
| Date published: | April 11, 2025 |
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