Zelandoperla fenestrata is a widespread endemic New Zealand ‘long-tailed’ stonefly that is often abundant in high-gradient stony streams, from near sea-level up to alpine elevations.[1] The species name 'fenestrata' refers to the window-like rectangular patterning visible on the wings of non-melanic adult specimens.
| Zelandoperla fenestrata | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Plecoptera |
| Family: | Gripopterygidae |
| Genus: | Zelandoperla |
| Species: | Z. fenestrata
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| Binomial name | |
| Zelandoperla fenestrata Tillyard, 1923
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This species is highly polymorphic in terms of wing length, with numerous wing-reduced, flightless populations found at high elevations above the alpine treeline.[2] While wing-reduced forms of Z. fenestrata were previously considered to be a distinct species (Z. pennulata), recent genomic research indicates that flightless ecotypes have evolved independently and repeatedly across distinct upland regions of southern New Zealand.[1][3] Full-winged and vestigial-winged ecotypes within this complex can sometimes be found together in sympatry, and can be either fully interbreeding or reproductively isolated.[4][5]
Zelandoperla fenestrata also exhibits a striking colour polymorphism, with highly melanic specimens closely mimicking the warning colouration of the co-distributed but unrelated toxic black stonefly Austroperla.[6][7][8] Melanic Zelandoperla specimens were previously considered to represent a distinct species (Z. tillyardi) but recent genomic analyses indicate that melanic and non-melanic ecotypes are fully interbreeding and thus conspecific.[1][6] Recent deforestation in New Zealand has reduced populations of the toxic Austroperla, leading to selection against melanic Zelandoperla specimens in these cleared regions, in a highly replicated example of human-induced evolution.[8]
The Banks Peninsula population of the Z. fenestrata species group has highly reduced wings and is thus flightless.[1] This Banks Peninsula lineage is genetically highly divergent from other lineages within the species group, and is now considered to be a distinct but as yet undescribed species.[9] This geographically restricted lineage (Zelandoperla sp. 1 (BJF00160)) was listed as ’Nationally Vulnerable’ under the 2018 New Zealand Threat Classification ranking.
References
edit- ^ a b c d McLellan, Ian (1999). "A revision of Zelandoperla Tillyard (Plecoptera: Gripopterygidae: Zelandoperlinae)". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 26: 199–219. doi:10.1080/03014223.1999.9518190.
- ^ Foster, Brodie; McCulloch, Graham; Vogel, Marianne; Ingram, Travis; Waters, Jonathan (2021). "Anthropogenic evolution in an insect wing polymorphism following widespread deforestation". Biology Letters. 17 (8): 20210069. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2021.0069. PMC 8355666.
- ^ McCulloch, Graham; Foster, Brodie; Dutoit, Ludovic; Harrop, Thomas; Guhlin, Joseph; Dearden, Peter; Waters, Jonathan (2021). "Genomics Reveals Widespread Ecological Speciation in Flightless Insects". Systematic Biology. 70 (5): 863–875. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syaa094.
- ^ Veale, Andrew; Foster, Brodie; Dearden, Peter; Waters, Jonathan (2018). "Genotyping-by-sequencing supports a genetic basis for wing reduction in an alpine New Zealand stonefly". Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 16275. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-34123-1. hdl:10652/4412.
- ^ McCulloch, Graham; Foster, Brodie; Dutoit, Ludovic; Ingram, Travis; Hay, Eleanor; Veale, Andrew; Dearden, Peter; Waters, Jonathan (2019). "Ecological gradients drive insect wing loss and speciation: The role of the alpine treeline". Molecular Ecology. 28 (13): 3141–3150.
- ^ a b Foster, Brodie; McCulloch, Graham; Foster, Yasmin; Kroos, Gracie; King, Tania; Waters, Jonathan (2023). "ebony underpins Batesian mimicry in melanic stoneflies". Molecular Ecology. 32 (18): 4986–4998. doi:10.1111/mec.17085.
- ^ McLellan, Ian (1997). "Austroperla cyrene Newman (Plecoptera: Austroperlidae)". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 27 (2): 272–278. doi:10.1080/03014223.1997.9517538.
- ^ a b Ni, Steven; McCulloch, Graham; Kroos, Gracie; King, Tania; Dutoit, Ludovic; Foster, Brodie; Hema, Kahu; Jandt, Jennifer; Peng, Mei; Dearden, Peter; Waters, Jonathan. "Human-driven evolution of color in a stonefly mimic". Science. 386 (6720): 453–458. doi:10.1126/science.ado5331.
- ^ McCulloch, Graham; Wallis, Graham; Waters, Jonathan (2009). "Do insects lose flight before they lose their wings? Population genetic structure in subalpine stoneflies". Molecular Ecology. 18 (19): 4073–4087. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04337.x.
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