''Ichthyocladius'' is a genus of
chironomid midges
A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some midge ...
that belongs to the subfamily
Orthocladiinae described by Fittkau based on one species, ''Ichthyocladius neotropicus'', from
Peru, though some other species were recognised, the lack of knowledge did not allow their description. Two additional species from
Brazil were described by Mendes, Andersen &
Sæther Sæther is a Norway, Norwegian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Andrine Sæther (born 1964), Norwegian actress
* Bjarne Berg-Sæther (1919–2009), Norwegian politician for the Labour Party
* Gjøran Sæther (born 1982), Norwegia ...
(''Ichthyocladius lilianae'' and ''Ichthyocladius kronichthicola'').
The
larvae live on
fish, generally attached to their
fins, of three different
catfish families,
Astroblepidae
''Astroblepus'' is a genus of fish in the family Astroblepidae found in South America and Panama. This genus is the only member of its family. These catfishes are primarily found in torrential streams in the Andean area. ''Astroblepus pholeter'' ...
,
Loricariidae and
Trichomycteridae. The diet of the larvae is yet controversial, some say they feed on fish mucus while some say they are feeding on other things and use the fish only for locomotion.
References
*Mendes, HF, Andersen T & Sæther, OA (2004) New species of ''Ichthyocladius'' Fittkau, a member of the Corynoneura-group (Diptera: Chironomidae: Orthocladiinae) with a review of the genus. Stud. Neotrop. Fauna Environ. 39: 15-35.
*Fittkau JE (1974) ''Ichthyocladius'' n. gen., eine neotropische Gattung der Orthocladiinae (Chironomidae, Diptera) deren Larven epizoisch auf Welsen (Astroblepidae und Loricariidae) leben. Ent. Tidskr. Suppl. 95: 91-106.
Chironomidae
{{Chironomidae-stub