SPECIES FACT SHEET
Scientific Name: Soliperla fenderi (Jewett 1955).
Common Name: Rainier roachfly
Phylum: Mandibulata
Class: Insecta
Order: Plecoptera
Family: Peltoperlidae
Subfamily: Peltoperlinae
Conservation Status:
Global Status (2007): G2
National Status: N2 (United States)
State Status: Washington (S1S2)
(NatureServe 2012).
Range, Distribution & Abundance:
This species is known from around fifteen occurrences within Mt. Rainier
National Park, Pierce County, Washington. Jewett (1955) described the species
based on one male specimen from the type locality: St. Andrews Creek within
the Park. Stark (1983) revisited and collected from the type locality area, and
also provided records for three additional sites in the Park (Reflection Lake,
Puyallap River, and Christina Falls). Kondratieff and Lechleitner (2002) provide
records for an additional seven sites, also in the Park (a tributary to Tahoma
Creek, a small tributary on Westside Road north of Paradise Road, Falls Creek
at Stevens Canyon Road, a small tributary on Westside Road north of Paradise
Road, a boggy stream tributary to Tahoma Creek, a stream on Westside Road,
Cataract Creek at Wonderland Trail, and Dick Creek at Wonderland Trail). In
addition, Stark & Gustafson (2004) recently collected this species from
Paradise River and two unnamed streams in the Park. According to Stark &
Gustafson (2004) and Stark (2013, pers. comm.), the species is presently known
only from the Park, but might be more common than present collections
indicate.
A number of Soliperla specimens from the Mt. Adams area (Skamania County)
were once thought to be S. fenderi (Kondratieff & Lechleitner 2002). Further
research, however, reclassified these specimens as the type specimens of a new
species, S. cowlitz (Stark 2013, pers. comm., Stark & Gustafson 2004).
Forest Service/BLM Lands: In Washington, this species is Suspected on Mt.
Baker-Snoqualmie and Gifford Pinchot National Forests, based on close
proximity to a number of records in Mt. Rainier National Park (see map in
Attachment 3).
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Habitat Associations:
This species is occurs in spring-fed seeps and streams (rheocrenes) draining
mostly the west side of Mt Rainier National Park (NatureServe 2012, Jewett
1955, Stark 1983, Kondratieff & Lechleitner 2002, Stark & Gustafson 2004).
Additionally, there is one record of this species from a waterfall (Stark 1983).
Nymphs in this genus are generally collected in seeps and in the splash zones
of small springs and streams (Stark 1983, Stark & Gustafson 2004).
Conservation Considerations:
Climate warming in mid- to high-elevation mountainous regions is occurring
more rapidly than anywhere else on Earth, causing extensive loss of glaciers
and snowpack (reviewed in Muhlfeld et al. 2011). In the North Cascades,
glaciers are already rapidly retreating (Nolin & Daly 2006, Pelto 2012); for
example, in one ongoing study in this region, all 47 monitored glaciers are
currently undergoing a significant retreat or have already disappeared as a
result of warmer summer temperatures (1.5 F rise beginning in 1985) and
reduced winter snowfall from 1946-2007. These changes are resulting in
increased water temperatures in the streams draining the region, and are
predicted to strongly influence streams ecosystems (Muhlfeld et al. 2011,
reviewed in Kubo et al. 2012). According to Muhlfeld et al. (2011), climate
warming and associated glacier loss is likely to shift patterns in distribution,
abundance, and phenology of many species, particularly range-restricted
mountaintop aquatic species, such as Soliperla stoneflies, that have strong
temperature and flow-related habitat requirements. Since the long-term
survival of these species is in question, it is imperative that their life histories
and ecologies be understood before they disappear (Boris & Kondratieff 2010,
Kubo et al. 2012, Muhlfeld et al. 2011).
Prepared by: Sarah Foltz Jordan, Xerces Society
Date: 27 January 2013
Edited by: Sarina Jepsen, Xerces Society
Date: 4 March 2013
Final edits by: Rob Huff, FS/BLM
Date: 12 February 2014
ATTACHMENTS:
(1)
References
(2)
List of pertinent or knowledgeable contacts
(3)
Map of Species Distribution
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ATTACHMENT 1: References:
Baumann, R.W. and B.C. Kondratieff. 2010. The stonefly genus Lednia in
North America (Plecoptera: Nemouridae). Illiesia 6(25): 315-327.
Jewett, S.G. 1955. Notes and descriptions concerning western North American
stoneflies (Plecoptera). Wasmann Journal of Biology 13:145–153.
Kondratieff, B.C. and R.A. Lechleitner. 2002. Stoneflies (Plecoptera) of Mount
Rainer National Park, Washington. Western North American Naturalist 62(4):
385–404.
Kubo, J., Torgersen, C.E., Bolton, S.M., Weekes, A.A., and R.I. Gara. 2012.
Aquatic insect assemblages associated with subalpine stream segment types in
relict glaciated headwaters. Insect Conservation and Diversity [Early View
online version].
Muhlfeld, C.C., Giersch, J.J., Hauer, F.R., Pederson, G.T., Luikart, G.,
Peterson, D.P., Downs, C.C., and D.B. Fagre. 2011. Climate change links fate
of glaciers and an endemic alpine invertebrate. Climatic Change 106(2): 337–
345.
NatureServe. 2012. “Soliperla fenderi.” NatureServe Explorer: An online
encyclopedia of life [web application]. Feb. 2009. Version 7.1. NatureServe,
Arlington, Virginia. Available at: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/
(Accessed 4 Dec 2012).
Nolin, A.W. and C. Daly. 2006. Mapping “at risk” snow in the Pacific Northwest.
Journal of Hydrometeorology, 7:1164-1171.
Pelto, M. 2012. North Cascade Glacier Climate Project. Nichols College, Dudley,
MA. Updated 15 Nov 2012. Available at
http://www.nichols.edu/departments/glacier/intro.htm (Accessed 19 Dec
2012).
Stark, B.P. and D.L. Gustafson. 2004. New species and records of Soliperla
Ricker, 1952 from western North America (Insecta, Plecoptera, Peltoperlidae).
Spixiana 27(2):97-105.
Stark, B.P. 1983. A review of the genus Soliperla (Plecoptera: Peltoperlidae).
Great Basin Naturalist 43: 30-44.
Stark, Bill. 2013. Biology Professor, Mississippi College, Clinton, MS.
Personal communication with Sarah Foltz Jordan, Xerces Society.
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ATTACHMENT 2:
List of pertinent, knowledgeable contacts:
Joshua Kubo, Graduate Student, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Joe Giersch, Aquatic Entomologist, USGS, Glacier, MT
Bill Stark, Biology Professor, Mississippi College, Clinton, MS
Richard Baumann, Professor, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Boris Kondratieff, Professor, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
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ATTACHMENT 3:
Map of Species Distribution
Records of Soliperla fenderi in Washington (Mt. Rainier National Park) relative
to Forest Service lands.
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