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Bug Of The Week

- KINGDOM Animalia

- SUBKINGDOM Eumetazoa

- PHYLUM Arthropoda

- SUBPHYLUM Hexapoda

- CLASS Insecta

- ORDER Plecoptera

- FAMILY Perlodidae

- GENUS Perlodes

- SPECIES microcephala


Perlodes microcephala  (larva  )


Most liklely found between



I found this big Perlodes larvae under a stone in a cold and unpolluted alpine creek.

Perlodes are medium to large stoneflies, this one was 3 cm. including cerci and antemnas

Typical straight external border of the wing case of a perlodes (as opposed to the rounded ones of the Perlidae family)

The absence of branched gills underneath and on the side of the thorax is a key difference distinguishing the Perlodes from the Perlidae genus.