Pond+life

= Sustainability Science =



Pond Life

 * **Insects** || **Mosquito** || __Culex annulirostris__

The male is on the left and is distinguished by large, hairy antennae and long palps. No males take blood, rather they feed on nectar from plants. Females bloodfeed to obtain a protein source for their eggs. [|(For a description of mosquito characters click here)]

Bloodfed [|//Culex annulirostris//], the major vector of arboviruses in inland regions of Australia. Additionally, it is also responsible for transmission along the coast. For more information, visit the [|//Culex annulirostris//Fact Sheet] || Adult



Like all flies, mosquitoes go through four stages in their life-cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult or imago. Adult females lay their eggs in standing water, which can be a salt-marsh, a lake, a puddle, a natural reservoir on a plant, or an artificial water container such as a plastic bucket or a discarded bottle or tire. The first three stages are aquatic and last 5–14 days. Depending on the species and the ambient temperature, eggs hatch to become larvae, then pupae. The adult mosquito emerges from the pupa when it floats at the water surface.

Bloodsucking species, depending on type, gender, and weather conditions can live as adults from a week to as long as several months. Some can overwinter as adults.[10][11] [|Ref]

|| Larva

//Culex// larvae hang down from the water surface at an angle.

All Culex species lay their eggs in a raft, with up to around 300 eggs in a single raft.

|| Links

[|NSW Arbovirus Surveillance & Vector Monitoring Program]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito ||
 * || **Chironomid Fly** || There are several primitive flies that look very similar to mosquitoes and are often the cause of considerable concern by the general public.

A female chironomid fly. The larval form are aquatic and look like small blood red worms. ||





Mud-dwelling species usually build tubes of silt... ([|ref]) ||

Larval stages of Chironomidae can be found in almost any aquatic or semiaquatic habitat, including treeholes, bromeliads, rotting vegetation, soil, and in sewage and artificial containers. They form an important fraction of the macro zoobenthos of most freshwater ecosystems.



They are often associated with degraded or low biodiversity ecosystems because some species have adapted to virtually anoxic conditions and are dominant in polluted waters. Larvae of some species are bright red in color due to a hemoglobin analog; these are often known as "bloodworms".[5] Their ability to capture oxygen is further increased by making undulating movements.[6] || http://www.mdfrc.org.au/bugguide/display.asp?type=5&class=17&subclass=&Order=7&family=252&couplet=0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chironomidae ||
 * Snails ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Amphibians ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Worms ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Plants ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Crustaceans ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Spiders ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||