''Halocladius'' is a genus of

halophilic A halophile (from the Greek word for 'salt-loving') is an extremophile that thrives in high salt concentrations. In chemical terms, halophile refers to a Lewis acidic species that has some ability to extract halides from other chemical species. ...

, non-biting midges in the subfamily

Orthocladiinae Orthocladiinae is a subfamily of midges in the non-biting midge family (Chironomidae). For lack of a better common name, they are simply referred to as orthoclads. Genera *'' Aagaardia'' Sæther, 1985 *'' Abiskomyia'' Edwards, 1937 *'' Acam ...

of the bloodworm family (

Chironomidae Chironomidae , commonly known as non-biting midges or chironomids , are a family of Nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the families Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Although many chironomid ...

). 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'' ( Stæger, 1839) * ''Halocladius varians'' ( Stæger, 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 Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of an organism in a year. The term is most often applied to insects, and is particularly in use in sericulture, where silkworm varieties vary in their voltinism. ...

, possibly bivoltine. It is a

commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit f ...

, 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'', growing itself on ''

Ascophyllum nodosum ''Ascophyllum nodosum'' is a large, common cold water seaweed or brown alga ( Phaeophyceae) in the family Fucaceae. Its common names include knotted wrack, egg wrack, feamainn bhuí, rockweed, knotted kelp and Norwegian kelp. It grows only in the ...

'', although other primary and secondary hosts occur too. Typically, a single larva occupies one ''Elachista fucicola''

thallus Thallus (: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. A thallus usually names the entir ...

. 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 insects