Empirical Models Predicting Ingestion Rates of Black Fly Larvae

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Abstract
Field experiments were performed in a gutter system to examine the effect of body size, water temperature, seston concentration, and particle type on the ingestion rate of Simulium venustum/verecundum larvae. Ingestion rates rose exponentially with increasing temperature between 9 and 19 °C (Q10 = 2.19, 95% CI 2.09–2.29) and rose asymptotically with seston concentration (range 0.7–30 mg∙L−1). Small larvae were more sensitive to variations in seston concentration than older instars. The type of particles offered also influenced the ingestion rate of larvae. Once corrected for body size, water temperature, and seston concentration, the data show that larvae ingested more of the natural seston and of a yeast suspension than of suspensions containing kaolinite. Ingestion rates of other simuliid species generally co-occurring at the outflow of lakes in early summer were of the same magnitude as those of S. venustum/verecundum, although significant differences were detected among species. Specific ingestion rates of simuliids decline with increasing mass, are similar to those measured for benthic detritivores, and tend to be higher than those of marine and freshwater zooplankton of similar size. The models are discussed with respect to black fly control with particulate larvicides.

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