Filter feeders are aquatic animals that acquire nutrients by feeding on organic matters, food particles or smaller organisms suspended in water, typically by having the water pass over or through a specialized filtering organ that sieves out and/or traps solids. Filter feeders can play an important role in condensing biomass and removing excess nutrients from the local waterbody, and are therefore considered water-cleaning ecosystem engineers. They are also important in bioaccumulation and, as a result, as indicator organisms.
Aquatic insects or water insects live some portion of their life cycle in the water. They feed in the same ways as other insects. Some diving insects, such as predatory diving beetles, can hunt for food underwater where land-living insects cannot compete.
The caddisflies, or order Trichoptera, are a group of insects with aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults. There are approximately 14,500 described species, most of which can be divided into the suborders Integripalpia and Annulipalpia on the basis of the adult mouthparts. Integripalpian larvae construct a portable casing to protect themselves as they move around looking for food, while annulipalpian larvae make themselves a fixed retreat in which they remain, waiting for food to come to them. The affinities of the small third suborder Spicipalpia are unclear, and molecular analysis suggests it may not be monophyletic. Also called sedge-flies or rail-flies, the adults are small moth-like insects with two pairs of hairy membranous wings. They are closely related to the Lepidoptera which have scales on their wings; the two orders together form the superorder Amphiesmenoptera.
The Annulipalpia, also known as the "fixed-retreat makers", are a suborder of Trichoptera, the caddisflies. The name of the suborder refers to the flexible terminal segment of the adult maxillary palps, which often has many tiny rings.
The Hydropsychidae are a family-level taxon consisting of net-spinning caddisflies. Hydropsychids are common among much of the world's streams, and a few species occupy the shorelines of freshwater lakes. Larvae of the hydropsychids construct nets at the open ends of their dwellings which are responsible for their "net-spinning caddisfly" common name.
The Ecnomidae are a family of caddisflies comprising 9 genera with a total of 375 species.
Dipseudopsidae is a family of caddisflies in the order Trichoptera. There are about 6 genera and at least 110 described species in Dipseudopsidae.
Philopotamidae is a family of insects in the order Trichoptera, the caddisflies. They are known commonly as the finger-net caddisflies.
Atrina fragilis, the fan mussel, is a species of large saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pinnidae, the pen shells.
The Glossosomatidae are a family of the class Insecta and order Trichoptera.The family contains 23 genera in three subfamilies. In the US alone, there are 76 spp. in 6 different genera.
Dolophilodes distinctus is a species of caddisfly in the Philopotamidae family. The larvae are found in streams in eastern North America where they build net-like retreats.
Uenoidae is a family of stonecase caddisflies in the order Trichoptera. There are about 7 genera and at least 80 described species in Uenoidae.
Limnephilini is a tribe of northern caddisflies in the family Limnephilidae. There are about 16 genera and at least 300 described species in Limnephilini.
Oxyethira is a genus of microcaddisflies in the family Hydroptilidae. There are more than 210 described species in Oxyethira.
Halesochila is a genus of northern caddisflies in the family Limnephilidae. There is one described species in Halesochila, H. taylori.
Wormaldia is a genus of fingernet caddisflies in the family Philopotamidae. There are more than 140 described species in Wormaldia. Fossil species have been described from the Late Cretaceous Burmese amber of Myanmar.
Heteroplectron is a genus of caddisflies in the family Calamoceratidae. There are at least three described species in Heteroplectron.
Plectrocnemia is a genus of tube maker caddisflies in the family Polycentropodidae. There are more than 120 described species in Plectrocnemia.
Aquatic macroinvertebrates are insects in their nymph and larval stages, snails, worms, crayfish, and clams that spend at least part of their lives in water. These insects play a large role in freshwater ecosystems by recycling nutrients as well as providing food to higher trophic levels.
Alloecentrella magnicornis is a species of caddisfly belonging to the order Trichoptera. The species was first described by Keith Arthur John Wise in 1958, and is endemic to New Zealand.
