1. Mosquito
pupa – All mosquitoes go through different life stages before
they become the flying and biting insects that most students are
familiar. They start as eggs in water and hatch as mosquito
larva. They molt their exoskeletons and change into the pupa
stage. This stage is a resting, non-feeding part of their life.
When development is complete they transform into a flying
mosquito. It takes a mosquito from 10-14 days to go from egg to
flying insect depending on species and water temperature.
2. Copepod -
Copepods are diverse aquatic crustaceans that are founds in
habitats ranging from fresh to salty conditions. Free living
copepods feed on bacteria, diatoms, an other unicellular
organisms. Eggs are carried in cluster in one or a pair of air
sac attached to the base of the female abdomen. They have
characteristic antennae from the head region.
3. Phantom
midge – This is a stage prior to its transformation into a
non-biting midge fly. The phantom midge is transparent with large
mouth parts and eyes. Sometimes they are referred to as “ghost
worm.” They filter water with their mouthparts to get food. The
midges eat cladocera, copepods, and other small aquatic animals.
Phantom midges are eaten by water spiders.
4. Cladocera
– “Water flea” is the common name for fresh water Cladocera, a
large group of fresh water Crustacea. They have a transparent
carapace (shell) that covers its shrimp-like body. This group
helps to determine the health of a lake as different species are
used in toxicity studies.
5. Worm
(leech) - Leeches belong to the invertebrate annelid (worm)
group. It is flattened lengthwise and has a sucker-feeding
apparatus at each end. They feed on decaying animals and plant
debris. An abundance of leeches in water usually indicate very
poor water quality.
