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Benthic Macro-invertebrates
The Canary in the Coal Mine!
What are they?
• Benthic= Bottom Dwelling
• Macro= seen with naked eye
• Invertebrates= no back bone
Why monitor them?
• Macroinvertebrate Biodiversity Index or MBI
• Relative tolerance to pollutants called a Tolerance Value (Tv)
• A number line of 1 to 11• The lower the number
the less tolerant the species is to pollution Stone Fly = 1.5 Tv
Adaptations
• Based on their primary habitat– Riffle– Run– Pool
Flat Worm / Planaria
• Less than 2cm in length• Pointed head with two
“eye spots”• Glide along bottom of
the pan• No segments
Leeches
• 2 cm to 5cm long• Segmented• Thin head and fat tail
regions• Two movements in the
pan– Undulated swimming– Inch worm along bottom
of pan
Side by Side Comparison
Aquatic Worm
• Looks like a terrestrial worm
• Light brown in color• Segmented• Up to 10 cm long• Will crawl along bottom
of the pan
Blood Worms• Very small and thin• Up to 2cm long• Looks like a tiny red hair
in the pan• They can be found
floating and sometimes wiggling on bottom of the pan
• Get their name from color, they have nothing to do with blood
Side by Side Comparison
Caddis Flies
• Hydropshychiadae• Light colored, form a
“C” shape• Dark colored Armored
back
Caddis Fly
• Non-Hydropshychidae• GREEN with dark
colored armor plates
Get there name from”
Side by Side Comparison
Amphipoda or Scud
• AKA Freshwater shrimp• Light colored• Swim on their sides• C -Shaped
Aquatic Sow Bug/ Isopoda
• Similar to a terrestrial rolly-polly
• Light brown to grey in color
• Up to 1.5 cm long• Crawls along bottom of
pan• Does not swim
Side by Side Comaprison
Crawling Mayfly
• Three tails• Gills along abdomen• Long thin bodies• Up to 2 cm long, but
usually smaller in our creek 1cm
• Wing pads on abdomen
Clinging Mayfly
• Up to 2cm long• Colors vary• Look like they “work
out” incredible legs for clinging to rocks in fast currents
• Large eyes• 3 tails
Swimming Mayfly
• Three or two tailed. In our creek mainly 3 tailed. The two outer tails curve away and the gills are much longer and have a furry appearance
Torpedo Mayfly
• Look a little like the swimming mayfly but torpedo’s have a humped back
Burrowing Mayfly
These mayflies have a veryFurry appearance. There gillsAre all over their bodies making themLook hairy.We have found these in our creek, butHave not found them in the past several Years.
Side by Side Comparison
Meet the Mayfly!
Stone Fly• TWO TAILS ONLY• Distinctive coloration- turtle
shell markings• Very strong and hardy
looking• We do find these in our
creek but have not for two years
• Is it a mayfly or a stone fly? ASK YOUR TEACHER TO MAKE SURE! WE NEED TO DOCUMENT THIS SPECIES!
Alderfly• Reddish brown head• Lighter colored abdomen• Long gill filaments off the
side and a long single filament off rear end
• Large mandibles• Can be 1 cm to 4 cm long• LION of the creek so get it
out of your pan quick- it will eat everything else in a short amount of time!
Dobson Fly
• Large mandibles• Dark Color• Short dark gill spikes off
abdomen• OTHER LION of the
creek. Remove immediately after documenting or you will have nothing else to count! : )
Side by Side Comparison
Water Penny
• Not to be confused with an Aquatic Sow bug!
• Reminds me of a scab from the top and looks like an alien from the underside!
• Oval shaped, brown and up to 1cm long in our creek
This photo enhanced with color, naturallyWhite in color
Side by Side
Riffle Beetle
• In these case we count both the adults and larva.
• Adults will be up to 3cm in size, black and their legs look like ribbons
• The larva are light brown and with dark heads but only one armoring
Side by Side Comparison
Caddis- Hydropsychidae Riffle Beetle Larva- they sometimesCurl into a C-shape so not the armoring
Predacious Diving Beetle
• We typically only find the adult. We count the adult and the larva.
• Larva has a distinctive rounded head and these larva are big.
Broad Winged Damsel Fly
• Gills located at the tail, three large feathering looking appendages
• Can be 3 cm long
Narrow Winged Damsel Fly
• These guys typically look scary to students
• Longer pointed antennae, very long legs
• Long feathery gills on tail as well
Side by Side Comparison
Damsel Flys
Damsel Fly vs Fish
Black Fly
• Black in color with grey shading
• Rounded shape at both ends with a thin “waist”
• Typically very numerous• They are small, about 1
cm at most
Midge Fly
• Midge larva are going to be very small less them 1 cm in lenth.
• They come in a variety of colors and shapes
• They are feathery looking butts. These are their gills
Mosquito
• Very small larva that have a distinctive wiggle movement
• We do not count these in our data but they are common and can be confused for midges
Side by Side
Crane Fly
Not a worm, but does look A little like a fat caterpillar
Greenish in color
Varies from 2cm to 6cm long
Typically very big this time of year,They are responsible for shredding All of the leaves that fall in the creek
Search leaf packs for them
Snipe Fly
• Also look like a caterpillar BUT they have suction cup feet
• Usually a reddish brown color
• Also can have feathery antennae
Side by Side
Dragon Fly
• Dragon Flies come in all different shapes, sizes and colors
• We have pulled dragon fly larva out of the creek so be one the look out, but not that man over the past decade
AWESOME Drgaonflies
Left Handed Snail
• These are Lung Breathers and are more tolerant to pollution
Right Handed Snail
• These are gill breathers and are not as tolerant to pollution
Side by Side
Crayfish
• Yes, they are fun, but they do not determine water quality and we do not count them
• So, let them go please!• IF YOU FIND ONE THAT
HAS RED PATCHES ON THE BODY, please show it your teacher. It may be invasive
Fish
• We do not count fish and for their safety do not want you to keep them in your pan.
• If you do find a fish do show it to your teacher so that we can determine if it is one of the following fish
Johnny Darter- common
Sculpin- some species are Endangered
Rainbow Darter- Endangered
Round Goby- Invasive
The wonderful World of Macros!
A closer look!