''Thaumatoperla flaveola'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of stonefly in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

Thaumatoperla ''Thaumatoperla'' is a genus of insect in the family Eustheniidae Eustheniidae is a family of insects in the order Plecoptera, the stoneflies. They are native to Australia, New Zealand, and Chile.Zwick, P. (1979)Revision of the stonefly famil ...

''.Burns, A.N., & Neboiss, A. 1957, ‘Two new species of Plecoptera from Victoria’, Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, vol. 212, pp. 91-242 They are endemic to the

Mount Buller Mount Buller is primarily a resort town on the slopes of Mount Buller in the Shire of Mansfield of the Australian state of Victoria. It is located approximately northeast of Melbourne. It is popular with snowsports enthusiasts in winter due t ...

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Mount Stirling Mount Stirling is a mountain in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, located in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia. The mountain has an elevation of above sea level. Mount Stirling is also an abbreviation of the Mount Stirling ...

area of the Victoria alps, Australia.Mynott, J.H. 2016, Surveying the threatened species Thaumatoperla flaveola across the Mount Buller–Mount Stirling massif. Final Report prepared for the Department of Land, Water and Planning by The Murray–Darling Freshwater Research Centre (122/2016), retrieved from .

Description

Medium-large insect. As adult: Two pairs of wide, membranous wings. Anterior wings tawny-olive and mottled. Posterior wings deep grey. Head reddish-brown, with darker area in front. Legs dark-brown. The

prothorax The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum ( dorsal), the prosternum ( ventral), and the propleuron ( lateral) o ...

is yellow-brown, the mesothorax dark-brown, and the metathorax black. The cylindrical abdomen is slightly flattened dorsally and shiny black. Two large black cerci and two long black antennae. They are incapable of flight.

Distribution

''Thaumatoperla flaveola'' are endemic to the

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area of the Victoria alpine area in south-eastern Australia. They have not been recorded below 1100m.

Habitat

''T. flaveola'' inhabit alpine riparian heathland. Nymphs live in the hyporheic zone of mountain streams.

Life history

''T. flaveola'' emerge as adults in February - May.

Etymology

From Latin '' flāvus'', referring to their yellowish colouring.

Conservation status

Listed as Threatened under the

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 The ''Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988'', also known as the ''FFG Act'', is an act of the Victorian Government designed to protect species, genetic material and habitats, to prevent extinction and allow maximum genetic diversity within the Au ...

References

{{Plecoptera-stub Aquatic insects Plecoptera