Cloeon

Leach, 1815

Double-gilled Pond Creepers

Species Guides

Cloeon dipterum(Pond Olive)

Cloeon is a of mayflies in the Baetidae, commonly known as Double-gilled Pond Creepers. in this genus are aquatic as larvae (naiads) and inhabit diverse freshwater environments. At least one species, C. dipterum, is known to give birth to live naiads rather than laying externally. The genus has been studied for its to environmental stressors including temperature and oxygen fluctuations.

Cloeon dipterum by (c) Donald Hobern, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Cloeon dipterum by (c) Mario Bassini, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Mario Bassini. Used under a CC-BY license.

Cloeon dipterum by (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Cloeon: //ˈkloʊ.iːˌɒn//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Four Chinese have been characterized by female color patterns of the stigma and : C. dipterum and C. harveyi share similar pigmented stigma and striped abdominal sterna, while C. viridulum and C. bicolor lack both pigmented stigma and abdominal sternal stripes. Detailed identification requires examination of female abdominal and wing markings.

Images

Habitat

Aquatic; larvae inhabit shallow areas with submerged aquatic weeds that provide shelter and abundant oxygen supply. Some occupy flowing water environments where larvae exhibit specific swimming and positioning in response to current.

Distribution

distribution including tropical lakes, the British Isles, China, Thailand, and North America (Vermont, US). Records from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Life Cycle

Aquatic larval stage (naiad) lasts from months to years depending on . emerge through a subimago (dun) stage followed by a final to the sexually mature (spinner). At least one species, C. dipterum, has been observed to give birth to live naiads after internal incubation rather than laying eggs externally.

Behavior

Larvae are mobile and capable of relocating within their , moving from areas of high temperature and low oxygen to shallows with submerged aquatic weeds— significant to their microdistribution. Larvae exhibit specific swimming and positioning behaviors in flowing water, studied through behavioral hydrodynamics research.

Ecological Role

As part of the Ephemeroptera, larvae contribute to EPT (Ephemeroptera-Plecoptera-Trichoptera) biological indices used for water quality assessment in environmental health monitoring. in this indicates healthy aquatic .

Human Relevance

are used by fly fishermen as models for imitation flies, with subimagos called "duns" and imagos called "spinners." Larvae are studied for their to environmental stressors, providing data for water quality assessment.

Similar Taxa

CallibaetisBoth are Baetidae mayflies with similar small minnow-like appearance; Cloeon distinguished by specific larval preferences and some ' live-bearing .
CaenisBoth are small mayflies; Cloeon larvae lack the square-gilled characteristic of Caenis.

More Details

Taxonomic Complexity

Chinese fauna review (2021) resolved several synonymies: C. apicatum Navás, 1933 and C. pielinum Navás, 1933, plus C. micki Tong and Dudgeon, 2021, are synonymized with C. viridulum Navás, 1931. C. virens Klapá, 1905 from Chinese mainland is also recognized as a distinct .

Environmental Tolerance

Laboratory studies on C. perkinsi larvae demonstrated wide temperature (7.5°C to 35°C LC50 limits) and oxygen tolerance (mean 24-hour LC50 of 4.35 mg/L), consistent with findings for related in tropical lakes.