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Last Updated: 7/23/11
Mayflies
Moths
Spongilla flies
Springtails
Stoneflies
True bugs - backswimmers, broad-shouldered water striders, creeping water
bugs, giant water bugs, marsh treaders, pygmy backswimmers, water boatmen, water scorpions,
water striders, water treaders, toad and shore bugs
Ephemeroptera, or mayflies, are very common. About 500 species occur in North America alone. Mayflies are a vital source of food for higher animals, including your pet fish. They range from 0.8 inches for the smaller species to 2.5 inches for the biggest species with larvae being slightly smaller than adults. Most ponds have them in the bottom mulm or sludge. When I clean my bags of bioballs, they crawl out in an attempt to find water again. They can be discerned from stoneflies and other insects by their three tails which vary in length and adornment with species. Adults have four see-through wings held aloft while resting. Three (or rarely two) long filaments extend from their abdomen in both larvae and adults. Larvae are called naiads and have rows of leaflike gills down the sides of their bodies (usually 7 pairs of gills). They eat small plants, animals, and debris for the two months to three years that they spend in the water (varies with species).
When the larvae are ready to leave the water, they pop to the surface, shed their skin, and fly off. You may find their shed skins or exoskeletons around the pond edges. After a few days dully colored (called a dun or subimago), they again shed to become a shiny, breeding adult (called a spinner or imago). They are called Ephemeroptera because the mature adults are ephemeral, meaning they die after just a few hours (but not before they breed and females lay eggs in water). Since they live so short a time as adults, their mouths are non-functional, and adults do not eat. Sometimes a swarm of millions of adults will mate in flight.
Some types of mayflies include hexagenias (largest in North America), isonychia (dart about in fast water), cloeon (climbs around plants), ephemerella (common, big gills, clings to things), ephemera (live in sediment, move gills to get oxygen in the borrow), and blasturus (in early spring, dart around).
Photos:
These photos are from 5/4/11 when I removed the woodfrog tadpoles from the 50 gallon
basement pond and found a mayfly larvae.
Mayfly larvae
Mayfly larvae, another view.
Mayfly in my 1800 gallon pond on
3/25/07.
Mayfly - the original photo from which the
above photo was cropped to give you a sense of scale. I made an area to point to the tiny
mayfly.
Drawings of a larval and an adult mayfly can be seen at this water bug site.
Lepidoptera, or moths, contains a few species whose larvae are aquatic. The larvae are about 0.8 inches long and dull colored. Some make silk cases with plants incorporated. An example is Nymphula maculalis who builds a leaf case as a 0.8 inch larvae before becoming a 0.9 inch adult. Larvae look like land caterpillars.
Some aquatic moth larvae use pieces of leaves to make a blanket or home over top of the leaf they are eating (often lily leaves). Removing dry vegetation in and around the pond will deter them.
The China Mark Moth, Nymphuliella daeckealis, can become a real pest in some ponds. In small numbers, it is hardly noticed. In large numbers, it can eat its way through an entire pond full of water lilies, water hyacinth, and other plants. They are also called the "sandwich man" because they make a home from two pieces of water lily leaves and "sandwich" themselves into it for protection. The moth larvae may travel from plant to plant by floating around in the pond in their little sandwich boats. Their sandwiches/boats should be removed from the pond when found. If you look inside, there should be a moth caterpillar. Mosquito dunks may kill them but usually hand removal is the best method to control them. At least one research group is looking into safe methods of controlling the China Mark Moth. The adult moth is brown and white. Avoiding lighting near the pond at night may reduce the quantity of adults coming in to lay eggs.
Read more about plant pests and moths in this section.
I found a caterpillar in my pond on 2/13/05. Here is a photo.
Neuroptera or spongilla flies are small and active larvae with bristles on their body. They eat freshwater sponges (thus "spong"illa). The six or so species in North America are not well studied at all.
Collembola are common in the spring in ponds. They are tiny and bounce all over the pond surface. They are often white but can also be black, orange, yellow, red, or even blue. They do no harm and small animals may eat them. Less than 0.2 inches long, they use a forked tail to spring about. They do not enter the water. They can occur any place that has some moisture.
Springtails are sometimes mistaken for aphids but springtails are smaller. They often occur in large groups and seem to appear out of nowhere. They are not a threat to the pond animals. Various species may eat pollen, bacteria, mold, decaying plants, and/or algae.
Links on springtails:
Sprintails on What's That Bug Site
Wikipedia page on Springtails
Ohio State University Fact Sheet on
Springtails
Judith took a photo of a Western tadpole in May of 2010 and captured a springtail in the
photo.
Tadpole and springtail
Plecoptera, or stoneflies, are indicative of good water quality. They are similar in appearance to mayflies but generally larger and with only two tails. About 300 species can be found in North America. Nymphs prefer flowing water. Growing from 0.8 to 2 inches, they have tufts of gills under their legs (like arm pit hair). Some species eat animals while others eat plants. They look like aliens to me.
Hemiptera include the common water striders, water boatmen, backswimmers, water scorpions, and water bugs. All of these stay around the pond as adults as well, eating small animals, insects, and fish. I find water boatmen to be cute. On the other hand, their mouths are made to pierce and suck which does not sound too pleasing. True bugs are good swimmers and clingers and prefer to eat insects. Some species follow.
Backswimmers
Backswimmers are similar to water boatmen but they swim on their backs.and only grow to about 0.5 inches. They store air under their bodies. North America has about 20 species. Look but do not touch them; their bite is painful. One genera is Notonectdae. Backswimmers eat insects by piercing them with their sharp proboscis and sucking out their insides. Also called water bees, they can kill small fish and tadpoles as well. The common backswimmer is Notonecta undulata.
On 5/21/10, Betsy sent these photos of a worm for identification. It may be a horsehair worm.
There are two backswimmers in the photo.
Pond worm and backswimmers
Broad-shouldered water striders
The broad-shouldered water striders include the genuses Microvelia and Rhagovelia (which has hairy tufts on its legs for paddles). The 20 or so North American species catch small creatures on the surface and grow up to 0.5 inches.
Creeping water bugs
Creeping water bugs also carry air, under their wings. These 0.3 inch bugs have strong legs and move through the water slowly, unlike water boatmen and backswimmers who just fly!
Giant water bugs
The largest true bugs of all are the giant water bugs, growing up to 3 inches. Their poisonous bite can kill small fish, tadpoles, and insects easily. Of the 24 species, some species practice male brood care where the male carries the eggs along his back even though they weigh a lot. One species, Lethocerus americanus grows to about 2 inches and likes to eat insects, tadpoles, fish, and salamanders. If the adults or nymphs are picked up, they pretend to be dead but can stab you with their beaks.
Cheryle from Alberta, Canada sent this photo for identification on 10/6/10. It is a giant water
bug.:
Giant water bug
Drawings of a larval and an adult giant water bug can be seen at this water bug site.
Marsh treaders
The marsh treader or water measurer is a slender, stick-like stalker that hides among thick plants. They spear prey with a beak and suck out the body fluids. There are six species known in North America. Hydrometra martini is a species that grows to about 0.5 inches.
Pygmy backswimmers
One species of pygmy backswimmer, Plea striola, lives in North America. It grows to 0.1 inches and swims between patches of plants eating small crustaceans. It looks a little like a flea.
Water boatmen
Water boatmen are common. They are often seen swimming in the water column in ponds and swimming pools. Water boatmen look like a submerged canoe with two men paddling. They may have a pocket of air around their 0.25 to 1 inch bodies. They eat algae, detritus, and other stuff off of the bottom. Their weak proboscis sucks up the food. Of the 115 or so species, two common genera are Arctocorixa and Corixa or Corixidae.
Drawings of a larval and an adult water boatman can be seen at this water bug site.
Water scorpions
Water scorpions are nasty looking insects. Hiding underwater with a snorkel or breathing tube (formed from their rear legs), they seize passing prey with strong legs and kill it. Since they grow up to 2.5 inches, finding one of these skinny, stick-like insects with large pincher legs often sends ponders into a panic. Yes, all 12 North American species do eat small fish; however, these ambush predators consume mostly insects.
Drawings of a larval and an adult water scorpion can be seen at this water bug site.
Water striders
Likewise, the ordinary water striders catch prey on the surface. They are also called water skaters, pond skaters, or Jesus bugs (since they walk on water). Growing up to an inch, the 30 or so species often congregate on the surface of ponds where they zip around the surface. They eat insects stuck on the surface but mine seem to hunt newborn fry also. Water striders court by sending water ripples to each other. Gerris marginatus is one species which grows to about 0.8 inches. The common water strider is Gerris remigis and grows to a little over half an inch.
Drawings of a larval and an adult water strider can be seen at this water bug site.
Also see an article called "Water Striders do the locomotion by 'sculling,' scientists discover" for an interesting article on water striders. A similar article can be found here.
Water treaders
Three species of water treaders live in North America. An example is Mesovelia mulsanti which grows to 0.5 inches. They are green and live concealed on the surface and eat small animals.
Toad and shore bugs
Finally, there are 0.3 inch toad and shore bugs who live near water and tend to go for dead bugs.
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