Taxonomic
Order NOTES- Biology, general habitat and food niche dimensions
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Insecta
Diptera:
Midges- Generally sediment burrowers or tube-case builders. Short life cycles,
Chironomidae adapted to colonized disturbed sites. Indicators of high organic sediment loads.
Simuliidae Black Flies- Filter feeders, Indicate "healthy" stream conditions.
Tipulidae Crane Flies- Detritivorous leaf litter "shredders". Require leaf pack habitat
Empididae Dance Flies- Lotic detrital habitat. Sprawlers- burrowers. Some are predators.
Coleoptera:
Dyropidae
Psephenidae Water Pennies. Erosional. Clingers in riffle habitat.
Elmidae Riffle Beetles. Indicate good riffle-flow habitat. Erosional, clingers.
Haliplidae
Ephemeroptera:
Lotic Erosional or depositional. Drift adapted mayfly. Highly variable flow
Baetidae requirements. Generalist feeding habits. Good colinizers of disturbed habitat.
Baetiscidae Depositional.
Ephemerellidae Lotic Erosional, some depositional. Variable flow- habitat requirements.
Leptophlebiidae Lotic-Erosional
Heptageniidae Lotic- Erosional. Clingers. Adapted for high flow surfaces in riffles.
Hemiptera
Odonata Dragonfly, Damselfly. Ambush Predators.
Plecoptera:
Perlidae Erosional habitat. Clinger, predator.
Chloroperlidae Erosional habitat. Clinger, predator.
"winter" Stoneflies. Erosional habitat. Clinger, coarse sediments, leaf, wood packs.
Nemouridae Often detritivorous.
Perlodidae Erosional habitat. Clinger, predator.
Trichoptera:
Net Spinning Filter feeder. Indicate high Organic Material in the drift. Common below
Hydropsychidae impoundments because of flow regime and drift food availability.
case builders. Erosional and depositional habitat. Generally Shredders. Often
Limnephilidae Detritivores. One of Dr. Mihuc's favorite taxonomic families.
Philopotomidae Lotic- Erosional. Net spinning retreat makers. Collector-Filterers
Rhyacophilidae Predatory Caddisfly
Subphylum
Crustacea
Scuds. Scavengers. Prefer warmwater, pool habitat or wetland, littoral areas with
Amphipoda High OM content
Isopoda Warmwater, scavengers. Prefer high sediment Organic content
Decapoda Crayfish. Omnivores. Prefer warmwater habitat, pools.
Phylum Mollusca
Gastropoda Snails. Scrapers. Primarily herbivores.
Bivalvia Filter feeders.
Phylum Annelida
Oligochaeta Sediment burrowers. Indicate high benthic Organic Material.
Hirudinea Leeches, predators