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Stonefly Family Perlidae (Golden Stones)

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

Taxonomic Navigation -?-

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Plecoptera (Stoneflies)

» Family Perlidae (Golden Stones)

Genus in Perlidae
AcroneuriaGolden Stones	5	48
AgnetinaGolden Stones	3	21
CalineuriaGolden Stones	2	2
ClaasseniaGolden Stones	6	13
DoroneuriaGolden Stones	0	0
HesperoperlaGolden Stones	2	2
ParagnetinaGolden Stones	5	36
PerlestaGolden Stones	1	9

10 genera aren't included.

Common Names

Match	Common Name
	Golden Stones
	Big Golden Stones

Pictures Below ↓

Every angler who turns over a rock now and then is familiar with the flat bodied and hastily scurrying examples of the family Perlidae. It contains most of the large stonefly species common to freestone streams across the continent. There are fifteen genera of this large and abundant family currently recognized in North America. They are easy to tell from Pteronarcyidae species (Eastern Giant Black Stonefly, Salmonfly) by their lighter, patterned coloration. Their longer tails and large triangular heads are also easy to spot differences. The males are substantially smaller than the females.

Perlidae species are very similar in conformation and habits. With some exceptions, telling them apart is very difficult East of the Rockies where ten of the genera reside and more than 50 species are involved. They have a number of common names: Stonefly Creeper, Yellow Legged Stonefly, American Brown Stone, to name a few.

The nymphs range in coloration from dark brown, delicately patterned gold and amber, to a brilliant yellow and black striped pattern reminiscent of Bengal tigers. The latter description befits them in recognition of their predator status. Their rarely abundant populations and nocturnal habits make them limited in importance back East, but out West, the story is quite different.

In the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast States, perlids exist in tremendous numbers and perhaps more importantly, they are very active during daylight hours. Ironically, in spite of the large populations the entire family is represented by only five species and most of the activity involves only two, Calineuria californica and Hesperoperla pacifica. The entomologically astute angler can easily tell these western species apart in the hand by comparing head markings and gill location of the nymphs. The adults are easily sorted as well by knowing the different hammer (Hammer: A smooth clearly defined chitinous area on the ventral surface of the ninth abdominal segment of some male stoneflies used for drumming up mates.) shapes of the males and dorsal (Dorsal: Top.) markings of both sexes.

Anglers need to take note that taxonomic revisions have moved four of the five western species formerly classified under Acroneuria to new genera, though like the two already mentioned, they are easily recognized in the taxa lists by their retained species names. All remaining Acroneuria species are now east of the Rockies.

Perlidae Fly Fishing Tips

Effective nymph imitations run from simple chenille rubber-legged models to as complex as you dare risk losing in the rocks. Debate rages over the need to imitate "eyeballs and elbows", especially in fast water rock gardens. Heavy western water is where an hour's worth of work at the vise can be lost in a matter of seconds. Resolution may hinge on the water type fished. Presenting the fly to discriminating fish picking off migrating nymphs in calmer shallows requires lighter swimming patterns that need to be more imitative. Dredging swift 5 ft. deep currents full of big rocks presents fly design considerations of an entirely different order of magnitude. Dead drifting patterns through calmer more intimate waters requires still another solution.

Molting nymphs offer another area of opportunity. Creamy patterns are gaining increasing acceptance as searching patterns (Searching pattern: Any artificial fly pattern used when trout that aren't feeding selectively on anything in particular. A searching pattern may be an attractor or an imitation of something specific that the fish might favor even though it's not currently hatching.) in recognition of this. It is undeniable that large perlids after molting present an easy to see and tempting entree if caught in the drift.

The type of water where trout and perlids interact has similar influence on dry fly selection as well. Bushy hair wings and rubber legs have their place in big water, as do slimmer flush floating designs at the margins.

In the East, nymph imitations of this family are often turned to as searching patterns (Searching pattern: Any artificial fly pattern used when trout that aren't feeding selectively on anything in particular. A searching pattern may be an attractor or an imitation of something specific that the fish might favor even though it's not currently hatching.) when nothing is hatching. Both dries and nymphs are popular with western anglers for use any time during the Spring and Summer, not just when matching the hatch.

Pictures of 31 Stonefly Specimens in the Family Perlidae:

Specimen Page:12 3 4

Acroneuria (Golden Stones) Stonefly Nymph

View 12 Pictures

Collected May 6, 2007 from Mongaup Creek in New York
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on May 18, 2007

Acroneuria abnormis (Golden Stone) Stonefly Nymph

View 10 Pictures

Collected May 29, 2007 from Paradise Creek in Pennsylvania
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on June 4, 2007

Paragnetina media (Embossed Stonefly) Stonefly Larva

View 10 Pictures

Collected March 30, 2007 from Fall Creek in New York
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on April 2, 2007

Specimen Page:12 3 4

2 Streamside Pictures of Perlidae Stoneflies:

View Full Size and Comment (2.5X larger)

Several large stoneflies recently emerged and left their nymphal skins on this log in fast water. Imitating the fluttering adults helped me hook a couple trout.

In this picture: Stonefly Family Perlidae (Golden Stones).

StateWisconsin

LocationNamekagon River

Date TakenJun 12, 2005

Date AddedJan 25, 2006

AuthorTroutnut

CameraOlympus C740UZ

View Full Size and Comment (2.3X larger)

When the freshly shed nymphal skins of large stoneflies cover a log like this, imitating the nymphs is a good bet for large trout.

In this picture: Stonefly Family Perlidae (Golden Stones).

StateWisconsin

LocationNamekagon River

Date TakenJun 12, 2005

Date AddedJan 25, 2006

AuthorTroutnut

CameraOlympus C740UZ

Recent Discussions of Perlidae

Perlesta placida 14 Replies »

Posted by Mad4Trout on Jul 3, 2011 in the species Perlesta placida

Last reply on Nov 27, 2011 by Mad4Trout

I don't know why "Stoneflies of the United States" has such a limited range for Perlesta placida, but we (Madmen Chapter of TU) have collected them on the Mad River, Logan Co., OH. They were reported by Gaufin (1956, Ohio J. Sci. 56 (6):321-324) in numerous counties. They have been recorded more recently by Ohio EPA.

Your Thoughts On Perlidae:

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Jargon Defined:

Dorsal: Top.

Hammer: A smooth clearly defined chitinous area on the ventral surface of the ninth abdominal segment of some male stoneflies used for drumming up mates.

Molting: When aquatic insects with hard exoskeletons (like mayfly and stonefly nymphs) grow bigger, their exoskeleton does not grow with them. Instead they grow a new, larger one underneath and shed the old one when it's too small. This process is called molting.

Nymphs: The juvenile, underwater stages of mayflies, stoneflies, dragonflies, and damselflies and other aquatic insects whose juvenile stages are covered by hard exoskeletons. The word can also refer to the fishing flies which imitate these creatures, in which case it is used as a blanket term for flies imitating any underwater stage of an invertebrate (except for crayfish and leeches).

Searching patterns: Any artificial fly pattern used when trout that aren't feeding selectively on anything in particular. A searching pattern may be an attractor or an imitation of something specific that the fish might favor even though it's not currently hatching.

Useful References:

Swisher, Doug and Carl Richards. 2000. Selective Trout. The Lyons Press.