''Halocladius'' is a genus of

halophilic The halophiles, named after the Greek word for "salt-loving", are extremophiles that thrive in high salt concentrations. While most halophiles are classified into the domain Archaea, there are also bacterial halophiles and some eukaryotic species, ...

, non-biting midges in the subfamily Orthocladiinae of the bloodworm family ( Chironomidae). They inhabit seashores and saline inland waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Wing length is . Two subgenera have been described: ''Halocladius'' and ''Psammocladius''.

Species

There are five or six species: * ''Halocladius braunsi'' (Goetghebuer, 1942) * ''Halocladius fucicola'' (Edwards, 1926) * ''Halocladius mediterraneus'' Hirvenoja, 1973 * ''Halocladius millenarius'' (Santos Abreu, 1918) * ''Halocladius variabilis'' (Staeger, 1839) * ''Halocladius varians'' (Staeger, 1839)

''Halocladius variabilis''

The most widespread species is ''Halocladius variabilis'', known from Canada, northern Europe, and the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The larvae can grow to in length. In Nova Scotia, life cycle is univoltine, possibly bivoltine. It is a commensal, potentially symbiotic with marine algae: the larvae feed on diatoms fouling its host, possibly delivering nutrients via faecal material. Typical host is brown alga ''

Elachista fucicola ''Elachista'' is a genus of gelechioid moths described by Georg Friedrich Treitschke in 1833. It is the type genus of the grass-miner moth family (Elachistidae). This family is sometimes (in particular in older sources) circumscribed very loosel ...

'', growing itself on '' Ascophyllum nodosum'', although other primary and secondary hosts occur too. Typically, a single larva occupies one ''Elachista fucicola'' thallus. In the Baltic, adults emerge between mid-May and late June. Densities of emerging adults as high as 328 individuals/m² have been observed, although 10 individuals/m² is more typical. Much higher larval densities, more than 50,000 individuals/m², have been reported from rocky intertidal zone of Nova Scotia.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5643359 Nematocera genera Chironomidae Diptera of Europe Diptera of North America Marine animals