Macrobenthos 303 



TANYTARSINI 



FIGURE 7-2. Representative chironomid larvae and a 

 tubificid oligochaete from a Barrow tundra pond. 



Lebertia is predaceous but also is parasitic on emerging adult insects. The 

 snail Physa grazes on attached algae, microfauna, and detritus on the 

 macrophytes or sediment surface. Lepidurus is described in detail later. 



CHIRONOMIDAE STUDIES * 



Ponds as Midge Habitats 



There are two kinds of habitats for midges in the ponds, soft organic 

 muds and emergent vegetation {Carex and Arctophila). Macrophyte-free 

 sediments can be further subdivided into fine, unconsolidated sediments in 

 the centers of the larger ponds and the irregularly spaced peaty sediments, 

 closer to shore. The soft sediments represent deposits of finer detritus 

 which are eroded from peripheral aquatic and terrestrial plant beds by 



*M. Butler and S. Mozley 



