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Bacteria as a Source of Food for Black-Fly Larvæ
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  • Letter
  • Published: 10 September 1960

Bacteria as a Source of Food for Black-Fly Larvæ

  • F. J. H. FREDEEN1 

Nature volume 187, page 963 (1960)Cite this article

  • 408 Accesses

  • 13 Citations

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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

  1. Petersen, Axel, D. Kgl. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Skrifter, Afd. 8, R., 4 (1924).

  2. Fredeen, F. J. H., Canadian Ent., 91, 2, 73 (1959).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cameron, A. E., Canada Dept. Agric. (Tech.) Bull. 5 (n.s.) (1922).

  4. Rempel, J. G., and Arnason, A. P., Sci. Agric., 27, 428 (1947).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Enigk, Karl, Monatshefte für Tierh., 7, 11, 241 (1955).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Zivkovic, Vera, Serbian Acad. Sci., Special Issue, Book 245 (1955).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Station, Canada Department of Agriculture, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

    F. J. H. FREDEEN

Authors
  1. F. J. H. FREDEEN
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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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  • Issue date: 10 September 1960

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/187963a0

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This article is cited by

  • 10.1007/BF00334170

    CrossRef Listing of Deleted DOIs (2011)

  • Growth, respiration, and assimilation of blackfly larvae (Diptera: Simuliidae) in a lake-outlet in Finland

    • R. S. Wotton

    Oecologia (1978)

  • Some aspects of the feeding biology of benthic herbivores

    • J. W. Moore

    Hydrobiologia (1977)

  • Some factors effecting algal consumption in subarctic ephemeroptera, plecoptera and simuliidae

    • J. W. Moore

    Oecologia (1977)

  • Evidence that blackfly larvae can feed on particles of colloidal size

    • R. S. WOTTON

    Nature (1976)

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