Larvae of all stonefly species are aquatic and almost all are stream dwellers. A few species have adapted to cold oligotrophic lakes. Since stoneflies are generally restricted to cool, clean streams (the larvae typically lack extensive gills), this insect group is an important component of biomonitoring programs. Stonefly larvae play a major role in stream ecosystems, providing food for fish and often being top predators in the invertebrate food chain. They crawl on the substrate and, in general, are weak swimmers. Larvae can be identified to species only for some genera. Maine has about 120 species, belonging to 46 genera and 9 families. Stonefly collections are sparse from many parts of the state, so it is likely that the species list will grow in the future.
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