Consumption of Animal Carcasses by the Putative Leaf Shredder Phylloicus mexicanus (Trichoptera: Calamoceratidae)

Eric K. Moody; Yaiyr Astudillo-Scalia; Ariana La Porte; Chanelle Swanson; Jessica R. Corman

doi:10.1894/0038-4909.63.76

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1 March 2018 Consumption of Animal Carcasses by the Putative Leaf Shredder Phylloicus mexicanus (Trichoptera: Calamoceratidae)

Eric K. Moody, Yaiyr Astudillo-Scalia, Ariana La Porte, Chanelle Swanson, Jessica R. Corman

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The Southwestern Naturalist, 63(1):76-80 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909.63.76

Abstract

Caddisflies in the genus Phylloicus are often considered to be dominant shredders, or consumers of terrestrial leaf litter, in tropical and subtropical streams. However, few studies of their diet have been conducted in the field. In this article we report observational and stable isotope data demonstrating that Phylloicus mexicanus larvae also consume animal detritus in Ramsey Canyon, a montane headwater stream in southeastern Arizona. These data support the hypothesis that Phylloicus rely on animal material to meet nutritional demands and should be considered generalist detritivores rather than obligate consumers of leaf litter. Our work also suggests that the drought-driven loss of predatory Hemipterans, which leave behind animal carcasses after feeding, could exacerbate the effects of stream drying on Phylloicus populations.

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Eric K. Moody, Yaiyr Astudillo-Scalia, Ariana La Porte, Chanelle Swanson, and Jessica R. Corman "Consumption of Animal Carcasses by the Putative Leaf Shredder Phylloicus mexicanus (Trichoptera: Calamoceratidae)," The Southwestern Naturalist 63(1), 76-80, (1 March 2018). https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909.63.76

Received: 5 February 2018; Accepted: 12 June 2018; Published: 1 March 2018

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