COMMENTS:

 

• Few adults live more than a three days
• They are attracted to light
• Ubiquitous and most abundant Larvae are essential components in efficient bio processing that takes place in the oxidation ponds of sewage treatment plants
• The use of bio indicators of water quality allows for population predictability
• The larva assist in decompostion and recycling nutrients
• Diets (adults and larvae) to many other aquatic invertebrates, fish and birds
• Emerging adults feed spiders
• Uni-bivoltine; these include some of the most tolerant of all insects tolerant to a wide variety of organic and industrial pollution as well as low dissolved oxygen levels
• Often found in very large numbers (50,000/m2) and may be very diverse
• Some places are known to have 100-200 species because of this diversity identification is extremely difficult even to the genus level- most have to be mounted on slides most species have never been associated (http://www.biology.eku.edu/SCHUSTER/bio%20806/diptera.htm and Williams et al.,1992 pg 9)