Extension - Fisheries and Native Species
Aquatic Insects

Aquatic insects play an important role in the health of aquatic ecosystems and serve as an essential food supply for Pennsylvania 's fisheries. Dr. Edwin Masteller, professor emeritus of biology at Penn State Behrend, has created a searchable database for stoneflies (Plecoptera) and caddisflies (Trichoptera). The database is available on the Pennsylvania Aquatic Insects Web site.

The databases include over 1,000 maps with the Pennsylvania counties and North American records from states and provinces. This is a compilation of over 4,300 records of Trichoptera in Pennsylvania, including 328 species in 22 families, and over 1,800 records of Plecoptera in Pennsylvania, including 136 species in nine families. The records are sorted by species, date of collection, collection site and area, latitude and longitude, county, physiographic province and drainage basin, state and national forests, and state and national parks.

PA Sea Grant staff has been active in mayfly-related outreach in the Lake Erie watershed. Mayflies have been making a come back in the area over the past 10 years after nearly being extirpated in the 1950s due to pollution. Sea Grant student assistants and outreach staff have worked on monitoring efforts since 1998 in cooperation with Dr. Masteller. For additional mayfly-related information visit the Pennsylvania Aquatic Insects Web site or view the fact sheet Return of the Mayfly: An Indicator of an Improving Habitat.

Dr. Masteller can be contacted at e11@psu.edu.