Bromeliad Insects

Bromeliads contain unique communities of aquatic invertebrates. The Srivastava Lab has been studying the ecology of bromeliad-dwelling invertebrates since 1997 at Estación Biológica Pitilla, in northwestern Costa Rica. This is a field guide to the species encountered to date.

Species listed by family

• Annelida

  • Aulophorus spp (possibly incl. superterreneus BR)
  • Annelid sp B
  • Oligochaeta sp A

• Ceratopogonidae

  • Ceratopogonid sp A
  • Ceratopogonid sp B
  • Ceratopogonid sp C
  • Ceratopogonid sp D

• Chironomidae

  • Chironomid sp E (white-striped)
  • Chironomid sp H (black head capsule)
  • Chironomid sp I (segmented white)
  • Chironomid sp J (red green)
  • Chironomus sp A
  • Polypedilum sp A

• Chironomidae: subfamily Orthocladiinae

  • Orthocladiinae subfamily sp A (Warning: 3 species likely lumped, see Orthocladiinae sp A1, A2, A3, A4

• Chironomidae: subfamily Tanypodinae

  • Monopelopia sp.

• Corethrellidae

  • Corethrella sp A

• Culicidae

  • Anopheles kompii
  • Anopheles neivai
  • Culex daumastocampa
  • Culex jenningsi
  • Culex rejector
  • Orthopodomyia phyllozoa+kummi
  • Toxorhynchites superbus or theobaldi sp
  • Wyeomia abebela
  • Wyeomia circumcincta
  • Wyeomia melanopus

• Dytiscidae

  • Dytiscid sp A

• Hydrophilidae

  • Hydrophilidae sp A

• Periscelididae

  • Periscelididae sp A

• Pseudostigmatidae

  • Mecistogaster modesta

• Psychodidae

  • Psychodid sp A

• Syrphidae

  • Copestylum sp A
  • Syrphid sp C
  • Syrphidae sp A (short-tailed)

• Tabanidae

  • Stibasoma fulvohirtum or apicimacula

• Tipulidae

  • Tipulid sp B (Only use this identification if fairly confident the specimen is different than Trentepohlia sp A; this morphospecies is still tentative)
  • Tipulid sp C (Only use this identification if fairly confident the specimen is different than Trentepohlia sp A; this morphospecies is still tentative)
  • Tipulid sp D (Only use this identification if fairly confident the specimen is different than Trentepohlia sp A; this morphospecies is still tentative)
  • Tipulid sp E (Only use this identification if fairly confident the specimen is different than Trentepohlia sp A; this morphospecies is still tentative)
  • Tipulid sp F (Only use this identification if fairly confident the specimen is different than Trentepohlia sp A; this morphospecies is still tentative)
  • Trentepholia sp A

• Unknown

  • Diptera sp B
  • Diptera sp C
  • Ephydridae? Sp A
  • Diptera sp F
  • Diptera sp I (orange-pink)
  • Diptera sp J
  • Diptera sp J3
  • Diptera sp J4
  • Diptera sp K
  • Diptera sp L
  • Diptera sp M
  • Diptera sp N
  • Diptera sp O
  • Diptera sp P
  • flatworm (batman)
  • flatworm (red)
  • flatworm (white)
  • Hirudinea sp A
  • Hirudinea sp B
  • Hirudinea sp C
  • Scirtid sp A
  • Trichoptera? sp A
  • Unknown sp A
  • Unknown sp B (stretchy segmented)
  • Unknown sp C (bright orange larva)

© Copyright The Srivastava Lab