Abstract
Larvae of the caddisfly Macronema carolina, which is widely distributed in the eastern United States, construct chambers on and in the bark and outermost wood of submerged tree limbs in large streams. Each chamber consists of two main parts, a feeding chamber and a larval retreat. A feeding net 10–11 mm2 in area is spun diagonally across the inside of the open ended, tubular feeding chamber, the anterior end of which opens directly into the current. This feeding net has a very fine mesh with openings of approximately 5 × 40 μ and is used to strain microseston (fine particulate organic matter, phytoplankton and bacteria) upon which the larva grazes while situated in a retreat opening into the side of the feeding chamber. This larval retreat has a small opening posteriorly which is apparently used as an exit for feces and water passing over the gills. We propose that the Holarctic distribution of Macronema spp., as inhabiting large streams, may be influenced more by feeding habits of the species, than the conventional water quality parameters often used by aquatic biologists to account for distribution.
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This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (U.S.A.).
This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (U.S.A.).
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Wallace, J.B., Sherberger, F.F. The larval retreat and feeding net of macronema carolina banks (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae). Hydrobiologia 45, 177–184 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014000
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00014000