Water Quality Life Cycle

Mayfly

Inc. metamorphosis- eggs laid in water, sink to floor. nymphs undergo several molts b4 adults.

Caddisfly

Com. metamorphosis- eggs attached to submerged vegetation, worm-like, soft bodied larvae enter pupa stage then adulthood. adults VERY short lived.

Stonefly

Inc. metamorphosis - eggs laid in water, sink to floor, and many molts b4 adulthood.

Dobsonfly

Com. metamorphosis

Gilled snails

lay eggs in a jelly clump under rocks and leaves, may live 2-5 years

Water penny

Com. metamorphosis - eggs laid on the underside of stones. larvae resemble encrustations on rock

Riffle beetle

Com. metamorphosis - eggs laid underwater on plant material

Water scorpion

Eggs laid above waterline in mud, decomposing plants, or stems/rotting wood. Diff species have diff ways of supplying air. Many molts, but but little visible difference between them

Aquatic Sowbug

Grow throughout ENTIRE lives, shedding exoskeletons often. immature looks similar to mature, main difference is size

Damselfly

Molt several times before adult, winged stage

Dragonfly

Inc. metamorphosis. once adult, travels extremely fast.

Scuds

molt regularly throughout life

Crane Fly

Com. metamorphosis - wormlike, thick, brownish larvae. adults resemble larger mosquitoes with larger bodies, but harmless.

Water mite

Com. metamorphosis

Midge

Com, metamorphosis - larvae are small, wormlike, and green, gold, black, brown, tan, black. adults resemble small mosquitoes. males have fuzzy antennae.

Blackfly

Com. metamorphosis - small, wormlike larvae are bulbous at one end. when out of water, they fold themselves while wiggling. color varies from green, brown, gray, but usually black, length up to 1/3 inch. adults inflict painful bites on warm blooded animals

Flatworm

Hermaphroditic - reproduce through….penis fencing…!

Leeches

Hermaphroditic - reproduce through reciprocal fertilization. worm-like, flattened lengthwise and possess a sucker at each end, color is green, black, or gray, some with patterns of bright yellow or red, up to 5 inches in length.

Air breathing snail

usually hermaphroditic, often live several weeks to a few years. often has algae growing on shell, opening on left, u to abt ½ inch.

Deer/Horsefly

Com. metamorphosis - adults lay eggs on vegetation above water surface. live in water or moist areas. LARVAE live 1-2 years with 16 stages. larvae go to dryer spot in spring and pupate. after few days, adults. adults live days to weeks.

Tubifex

Hermaphroditic - produce egg-cases called cocoons, stored around the clitellum, after few weeks, young worms emerge and mature within a year. cocoon production in winter-early spring.

Blood midge

larvae hatch in 10 days from eggs laid on plants. after weeks/months of feeding they pupate and later emerge as adults. adults reproduce and survive a few days

Whirligig beetle

Com. metamorphosis - 7-40 eggs laid in spring under underwater leaves. larvae grow for several weeks/months, in summer they pupate above water. after summer, adult will emerge and return to water

Water strider

eggs deposited underwater attached to solid objects in spring. in summer, nymphs go thru 5 instars 7-10 days each. nymphs smaller than adults. abt 70 days for maturity, correlated to water temp tho.

Mosquito

eggs laid individually, on rafts in water, or in areas that will flood. hatch in 48 hrs. larvae live in water and surface to breathe, 4 instars, 4-14 days. inactive pupae look like commas, few days until adults. males live abt a week, females longer.

Giant water bug

spring/early summer, brown/black eggs laid in ROWS on plants/objects. some on the backs of males. males take care until hatching, giving air. iin 2 weeks, nymphs hatch, molt 5 times. adults overwinter in mud/lake margins. live 1 yr or longer.

Back swimmer

elongated white eggs attached to underwater plant stems, hatch in several weeks. 5 instars, 1-2 weeks each. nymphs have white bodies and red eyes. adults appear in abt july, abt 2 generations a year.

water boatman

eggs on aquatic vegetation, 5 instar nymphs, similar to adults w/o wings. first breathe thru skin, then trapped air, adults take flight and mate.

Predacious diving beetle

eggs laid in water or aquatic vegetation. larvae hatch, crawl to land, dig underground, and pupate. abt a week, adults. return to water, sometimes fly around.

purple loosestrife

rapid growth via seeds, roots, stem fragments

Eurasian water milfoil

fragmentation

water hyacinth

stolons

zebra mussel

4-5 yr lifespan in eurasia, 3 in great lakes. maturity at 1 year. spawning incited by temp or phytoplankton presence. egg>veliger>post-veliger>settling stage. 30/40k eggs at once. males sense eggs in water and send sperm. larvae called veligers, emerge after few hours. veligers develop cilia. diet is plankton, undergo growth spurts

spiny water flea

parthenogenetic - switch between sexual and asexual rep. females make 10 offspring a week. eggs dormant until proper szn (autumn) and water temp rises. eggs withstand cold temps.

Asian tiger mosquito

females need blood for developing eggs. suck from hosts with proboscis. males feed on nectar and sweet juices.

asian carp

rapid growth, high reproductive rates. mature between 2-7 yr old. live up to 16 yrs.