Cardiocladius (Diptera: Chironomidae) Larvae Ectoparasitic on Pupae of Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera)

1 October 1979

journal article
research article
Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Environmental Entomology

Vol. 8 (5) , 808-809
https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/8.5.808

Abstract

Larvae of Cardiocladius sp. were found to feed on pupae of several species of Hydropsyche and Cheumatopsyche . The chironomid larvae enter the pupal cases after closure and feed on the immobile caddisflies, often consuming the host. In one collection, over 61% of all hydropsychid pupal cases contained Cardiocladius sp. larvae. This represents a very significant source of mortality for the caddisfly population.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: