| Common Name |
Rat-tailed Maggot |
| Phylum |
Arthropoda |
| Class |
Insecta |
| Order |
Diptera |
| Family |
Syrphidae |
| Description |
4-16mm, not including breathing tube. Up to 70mm with breathing tube extended. Syrphidae larvae are cylindrical and chubby with soft skin that's wrinkly all over. The last segment has a single, long, thin breathing tube that can be several times longer than its body when fully extended. |
| Habitat |
Lentic-littorical and lentic-depositional. Syrphidae larvae are usually found where there is a lot of decaying organic matter. They can survive in water completely devoid of water and are thus often found immediately below sewage discharges and in oxidation lagoons. |
| Feeding Information |
Collector-gatherers who eat decaying organic matter. |
| Water Quality Tolerance |
Very tolerant. They are one of the few invertebrates that can be found in ponds and lagoons engineered for organic waste disposal and are thus a great indicator of intense organic waste pollution. |
| References |
Voshell & Wright. 2002. |
