Invert Tuesdays 004: A Simuliidae Moustache you MUST see!
Welcome back to Invert Tuesdays! Today we will take a look at a type of Dipteran (the True Flies) that some of us may know quite well. The family Simuliidae, is also commonly known as a Black Fly. You are probably more familiar with their adult life stage, but in their larvae stage they have a bizarre moustache-like structure!
These are called their labral fans, and this is how they eat! They attach themselves to a rock and spread out their labral fans open like a net. Any bits of food like dissolved organic matter, that floats by can get caught in the fans. They then scrap off any materials into their mouths.
These are commonly found in flowing waters, so if you happen to come across a flowing stream maybe you will find one swaying in the water on a rock catching their next meal.
