Trout are among the many species of fish that eat insect larvae.
The oceans, seas, lakes and rivers are rich and bountiful habitats for wildlife with all manner of fish, insects, birds and mammals dependent on the plentiful biodiversity they provide. Many fish feed on other fish, invertebrates or vegetable matter such as algae, but many others, both fresh and salt water species, are sustained by insects and their larvae.
Trout and Grayling
An academic study of trout found in a lake in Wales found that trout feed on many things, including insect larvae. The amount of larvae in the diet of trout varies according to the seasons and availability of other food, but trout were found to regularly eat the larvae of caddis flies. The study also reported that grayling, a member of the salmon family, consumed insect larvae. Both species are found in a wide range of locations.
Cichlids
Cichlids are a species of freshwater fish with some 1,600 varieties. Some are herbivores, some eat all kinds of organic matter and some are predators that feed on other creatures, including insect larvae. The Midas cichlid or red devil is one such larvae-eating cichlid. It is found largely in Central America, particularly Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Growing to around 9 or 10 inches in length, it also eats snails and worms.
Northern pike
The northern pike, or jackfish, is common to many parts of the world, including North America where it is found from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to the Great Lakes, Arctic and Mississippi basin. It is also widespread in Europe and Asia, from the Arctic to the North Sea, Atlantic basin and south to the Mediterranean. It is a voracious predator that eats all manner of creatures, but the young will often feed on aquatic insect larvae.
Mosquitofish
Two main types of mosquitofish exist, western and eastern, which go under the generic name of gambusia. As their more common name suggests, they are voracious consumers of mosquito larvae, although they also eat plant matter. Some studies have suggested that single fish can gorge on as many as 50 mosquito larvae in a 30-minute period. Native to the Gulf of Mexico, they are hardy fish that can tolerate water with high salt levels and little oxygen.
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