Alpine stonefly becomes “New Species of the Year”

Aquatic insects are fascinating creatures: In many species, the adults only have a very short life in the air. They die after laying their eggs in the water. Their larvae develop there - a new cycle begins.

One of these groups are the stoneflies (Plecoptera). They bear their name because they prefer to land on stones on the bank. Because they only occur in intact streams and rivers, they are used as indicators of water quality. Their presence indicates that a body of water is not polluted and is well supplied with oxygen.

Named after Swiss entomologists

Switzerland is home to a large variety of stoneflies. 127 of the 516 species known in Europe live here. The species of the genus Dictyogenus are mainly found in the large torrents and rivers of the Alps up to altitudes of 2,700 metres. In a study published in 2024, a Swiss researcher scientifically described six new species in this group. He named one species Dictyogenus nadigi in honour of the entomologist Adolf Nadig (1910–2003), who pioneered research into the spring fauna of the Swiss National Park.

Despite their widespread distribution, stoneflies are in alarming decline in many regions, including Switzerland, where around 40 per cent of the species are on the Red List.