Abstract
BLACK-FLY larvæ (Diptera : Simuliidae) are almost entirely confined to flowing water. They have long been known as ‘filter-feeders’, but the minimum particle-size acceptable as food by the several instars has not been previously investigated. Several authors have reported the occurrence of larvæ in sewage-contaminated waters ; but Petersen1 was apparently the first to suggest that they might feed on suspended particles as small as bacteria.
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References
Petersen, Axel, D. Kgl. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Skrifter, Afd. 8, R., 4 (1924).
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Enigk, Karl, Monatshefte für Tierh., 7, 11, 241 (1955).
Zivkovic, Vera, Serbian Acad. Sci., Special Issue, Book 245 (1955).
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FREDEEN, F. Bacteria as a Source of Food for Black-Fly Larvæ. Nature 187, 963 (1960). https://doi.org/10.1038/187963a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/187963a0
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