BIOLOGY OF HYADINA-ALBOVENOSA (DIPTERA, EPHYDRIDAE), A CONSUMER OF CYANOBACTERIA

Information is presented on the life cycle and larval feeding habits o f Hyadina albovenosa Coquillett, a common and widely distributed shore fly species of the subfamily Hyadininae and tribe Hyadinini. Larvae we re found in nature only on soil-inhabiting colonies of Anabaena, a gen us of Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Laboratory feeding tests indic ated that the larvae can develop on a wide mixture of Cyanobacteria an d even on such true algae as the diatom Navicula pelliculosa and the e uglenophyte Euglena gracilis. Under laboratory conditions, the life cy cle was completed in 18-19 days if A. variabilis served as the larval food. Eight generations a year can be produced in northeastern Ohio. T he larval food preference of H. albovenosa is contrasted and compared with those of other species of Hyadininae that utilize soil-inhabiting Cyanobacteria.