Sisyra nigra

(Retzius, 1783)

Black Spongillafly, Black Spongefly

Sisyra nigra is a small in the Sisyridae, commonly known as the Black . It is the most widely distributed of the three British Sisyridae and occurs across the Holarctic region. The species has a unique with fully aquatic larvae that are specialized of freshwater sponges, while are terrestrial and dispersive. S. nigra is notable for its distinctive achiasmatic segregation mechanism during male , which differs from other Neuroptera and supports the basal phylogenetic position of Sisyridae within the order.

Sisyra nigra by (c) Igor Shelpiakov, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Igor Shelpiakov. Used under a CC-BY license.Sisyra nigra (36359891756) by Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.Sisyra nigra (35971236703) by Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Sisyra nigra: //ˈsɪsɪrə ˈnɪɡrə//

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Habitat

Lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers. disperse from water bodies and can be encountered on overcast, humid nights at some distance from aquatic .

Distribution

Holarctic; found in Europe and Northern Asia (excluding China) and North America. Common and widespread throughout Finland; most widely distributed of the three British Sisyridae .

Diet

Larvae feed exclusively on freshwater sponges ( Ephydatia and Spongilla). are mostly , feeding on mites, insect , and sometimes aphids and honeydew.

Host Associations

  • Ephydatia - larval food sourcefreshwater sponge
  • Spongilla - larval food sourcefreshwater sponge

Life Cycle

are laid on branches overhanging water. Larvae are fully aquatic: initially free-swimming, then feeding within sponge tissue. occurs on land. disperse from water bodies after .

Behavior

Larvae possess numerous morphological and physiological adaptations to their specialized aquatic . rest in typical fashion with wings held in a tent-like shape over the body. Can be attracted to light traps on overcast, humid nights.

Ecological Role

on freshwater sponges during larval stage; predator on mites, insect , and aphids as .

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Sources and further reading