Caddisfly larvae are important indicators of water quality. We measured survivorship and rate of case-building by larvae of the caddisfly Hesperophylax designatus when exposed to a number of common water pollutants, including motor oil, antifreeze, Confront and Amine 400 herbicides, and raw waste from hog confinement facilities. LD50's were calculated for each pollutant and case-building behavior over a 72-h exposure period to low levels of each pollutant were measured. The herbicides reduced case-building behavior or killed the caddisflies at very low doses, whereas the oil and antifreeze stimulated case-building by H. designatus larvae.
Species 1: Trichoptera Limnephilidae Hesperophylax designatus
Keywords: case-building behavior, water pollution
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA