Tillyard, 1921, Canadian Entomologist 53:35-43.
McLellan, 1965, Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 6 (22):229-234.
McLellan, 1966, Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, zoology 8 (2):5-22.
McLellan, 1967, Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, zoology 9 (1):1-15.
McLellan, 1969, Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand 11 (3):25-41.
McLellan, 1977, New Zealand Journal of Zoology 4:119- 147.
McLellan, 1993, Fauna of New Zealand Number 27:1- 70.
Type species Leptoperla confusa Hare, 1909.
Adult. Small to medium-sized stoneflies with or without wings. Ocelli present. Distal segment of maxillary palp about twice as long as penultimate segment. Rs with a terminal fork in all wings. Hind wing with fusion of M and Cu incomplete distally. Thoracic spiracles not on cones. Lateral tergal ridge evident on abdomen. Cerci short, usually comprising no more than 15 segments.
Male genitalia. Epiproct hastate in plan, with a ventral hook and usually with a pair of teeth on each margin; sides normally sloping up from midline; ventrally, at base of epiproct, a dark, usually globular sclerotised mass. Paraprocts broadening distally before tapering abruptly to either a terminal spine or a rounded blade. Tergite 10 divided into 2 anterolateral sclerites with a medial sclerite behind them, followed by a membranous cone, then terminating in a dark, sclerotised knob. Penis membranous, 3 to 5 lobed, evaginated from beneath subgenital plate in mated specimens.
Female genitalia. Posterior of subgenital plate with a pair of short lateral lobes with a medial concavity between them.
Larva. No hairy fringe on legs. Maxillary palp with distal segment about twice as long as penultimate segment. Segment 10 of abdomen usually long, sometimes bulged basally. Subanal lobes tongueshaped. Anal gill rosette well developed but incapable of pulsation. Cerci sturdy or thread-like, less than half as long as body.