Prey Selection by the Water Bug Aphelocheirus aestivalis Fabr. (Heteroptera: Aphelocheiridae)

Abstract

AbstractFeeding experiments were conducted in situ in flow through boxes to determine the vulnerability of different prey types (the mayfly larvae Baetis, Ephemerella and Ecdyonurus spp., the caddisfly larva Hydropsyche spp. and the crustacean Gammarus spp.) to the predaceous water bug Aphelocheirus aestivalis and to estimate the predation impact of Aphelocheirus on prey populations. Experiments with equal densities of mixed prey and experiments where each prey was tested individually revealed that Baetis and Ephemerella were most vulnerable to Aphelocheirus predation: Hydropsyche, Ecdyonurus and Gammarus were little/not preyed upon. The present results suggest that vulnerability of prey depends mainly upon prey mobility and microhabitat overlap between predator and prey and that feeding behaviour of Aphelocheirus resembles more that of megalopterans than of stoneflies. Experiments with different prey densities (120–720 prey m−2) showed that the predation rate of Aphelocheirus increased with increasing prey density. Experiments with different substrates documented that mortality rates of prey decreased with increasing substrate complexity. When substrate conditions were complex mortality rates in the control and in the experimental boxes were the same which suggest little importance of Aphelocheirus predation on mayflies in the study site.