Food consumption by the larvae of Sericostoma vittatum (Trichoptera), an endemic species from the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The caddisfly Sericostoma vittatum Rambur (Trichoptera: Sericostomatidae) is an endemic species of the Iberian Peninsula. Under laboratory conditions, larvae of S. vittatum had a higher activity and metabolism during the night. Besides consuming particulate allochthonous organic matter, young stages are also able to feed and grow on faecal pellets from adults. Daily growth rates varied from 0.02 mg (0.8–3.7 mg size class animals) to 0.31 mg dry mass (10.6–22.8 mg size class animals). Due to the high densities of this species (annual mean of 25 individuals m-2; maximum of 96 individuals m-2) and high consumption rates (0.47 mg leaf dry mass mg animal-1 d-1for small larvae), this species has a potential key role on the fragmentation of allochthonous organic matter of streams in central Portugal.