Pond Brook

From WikiEducator
Jump to: navigation, search


Streams logo web.jpg Pond Brook
Stream code:LCD_PndBrk_179
Basin:Lake Champlain Direct
State or Province:Vermont
Country:USA
Latitude:44.55656
Longitude:-73.153308
School:Colchester High School


The following are the most common invertebrates collected from this stream site.

Hydropsychidae

Hydropsyche.jpg
Order
Trichoptera (caddisfly)
Family
Hydropsychidae


Common name
net spinning caddisfly
Tied fly
Emergent Sparkle Pupa, Vermont Hare's Ear
This family of net-spinning caddisflies is very abundant at several sites. They are important filtering collectors and are quite common at urban and agricultural sites where particles of organic material can be important food resources. Genus-level identification is possible for mature specimens and we will include the genera we found at your site if possible.

When using the key, some features that are challenging to see are the forked trochantin and the paired sclerites in the folds between segments. Other, more easily seen key features include filamentous gills on the abdominal segments and the sclerotization of the dorsal surfaces of all three thoracic segments. Keep in mind that with smaller or more immature specimens, genus-level ID may not be possible.

Commonly found genera include Cheumatopsyche, Ceratopsyche, and Hydropsyche. Less commonly, we have found Arctopsyche and Potamyia.

Images of the forked trochantin and the paired sclerites.




Chimarra

Chimarra.jpg
Order
Trichoptera
Family
Philopotamidae
Genus
Chimarra


Chimarra are distinguished from the other Philopotamidae by a prominent asymmetrical notch in the frontoclypeus as well as a prominent process on the femur which bears a single hair (seta).

Images of the asymmetrical notch and prominent process.



Ceratopsyche

Ceratopsyche.jpg
Order
Trichoptera
Family
Hydropsychidae
Genus
Ceratopsyche


Ceratopsyche has a forked foretrochantin. The foretrochantin is the projection at the uppermost portion of the foreleg. The leg may need to be pulled away from the body to expose this feature. Ceratopsyche have a large pair of sclerites underneath the prosternum. Note: the large single sclerite is the prosternal plate. Biologists have gone back and forth between lumping this genus into Hydropsyche and splitting it back out. ITIS currently lists it as a genus (Feb 2013) but we are aware of a recent paper that lumped it under Hydropsyche.




Cheumatopsyche

Cheumatopsyche.jpg
Order
Trichoptera
Family
Hydropsychidae
Genus
Cheumatopsyche


Cheumatopsyche has a forked foretrochantin (as does Ceratopsyche). The foretrochantin is the projection at the uppermost portion of the front leg closest to the head. The leg may need to be pulled away from the body to expose this feature. Cheumatopsyche have a small or inconspicuous pair of sclerites under the prosternal plate that are difficult to see. Contrast that with the larger pair of sclerites found on Ceratopsyche. To access sclerites, it's best to gently pull the pronotum and mesonotum in opposite directions. Note: the large single sclerite is the prosternal plate. Cheumatopsyche have only 2 types of hair on the abdomen: long thin plain hairs and thicker club hairs, which are narrow close to the body and widen out at the distal end. Paired sclerites on the ninth abdominal segment are notched.




Chironomidae

Chironomidae.jpg
Order
Diptera
Family
Chironomidae


Common name
Nonbiting midge
Tied fly
Griffith's Gnat
Midge larvae tend to be the most common macroinvertebrate at our sites. As with other Diptera, there are no true jointed legs. Chironomidae do have a pair of prolegs at each end and preserved individuals tend to curl into a 'C'. Identification past family requires slide-mounted heads. We have seen philopotamid caddisflies misidentified with the chironomids and we suspect that that happens when samples are being sorted from trays. Under a microscope, six prominent legs can be seen on members of the caddisfly family Philopotamidae.

More information on Philopotamidae.




Simuliidae

Simuliidae.jpg
Order
Diptera
Family
Simuliidae


Simuliidae appear rather like bowling pins with heads. Relatively speaking, we collect few members of this family and have we have not identified them past family at this point.

Click here for a close up image of the heads.




Antocha

Antocha 11162010.jpg
Order
Diptera
Family
Tipulidae
Genus
Antocha


This small dipteran in the cranefly family is quite common. It is distinguished from most other dipterans we found by the 'creeping welts' that appear as prominent dark stripes along the abdomen. The dark head is usually partly exposed; however, it can be pulled back into the thoracic cavity during preservation.



Baetidae

Baetis.jpg
Order
Ephemeroptera
Family
Baetidae


Common name
Small minnow mayfly
Tied fly
Tiny blue-winged olive
This mayfly has either two or three cerci ("tails") and a unique head shape. Its gills are oval shaped and insert dorsally. Commonly encountered genera include Acerpenna, Baetis and Pseudocloeon.

More information on the genera:

Acerpenna

Baetis

Pseudocloeon




Aeshnidae

Aeshna cyanea Small.jpg
Order
Odonata
Family
Anisoptera


Common name
Darner
Tied fly
Carey Special
All dragonflies have five points sticking out from the back end. Members of this family of dragonflies are distinctly long as can be seen in the photograph. Other common families tend to be a wider and flatter. If you pull out on the mouthparts under the head you'll see that they look flat in side view. If they look spoon-shaped then it is from a different family. Like other Odonata, members of this family have four wingpads. Like members of the sub-order Anisoptera, the abdomen terminates in five points. The prementum and palpal lobes of this dragonfly are flat when viewed from side.

Images of the four wingpads, the abdomen, the prementum and palpal lobes, and a view from the the side.



Agnetina

Agnetina.jpg
Order
Plecoptera
Family
Perlidae
Genus
Agnetina


Agnetina nymphs have cylindrical, striped abdomens. Like other Plecoptera, they have 2 tails and 2 claws on each tarsus. This genus has three black dots (ocelli) on the top of the head. Click to see the three ocelli on the dorsum of the head (3 black dots at joint with the pronotum). This stonefly is characterized by the filamentous gills located in the "armpits". Another important feature is the paraglossae and glossae extending different lengths. The occiput has a transverse row of evenly spaced little hairs. Agnetina has another row of evenly spaced hairs on the posterior edge of abdominal segment 7.



Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogonidae.jpg
Order
Diptera
Family
Ceratopogonidae


Common name
biting midges
Members of this family look like very straight Chironomidae. They are very long and thin with a distinct head capsule and no prolegs. Some in the lab call them 'bamboo sticks' with eyes.

Image of the distinct head capsule.