Kauaʻi record · KCA-IA-00603
Cricotopus bicinctus
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About Cricotopus bicinctus
Cricotopus bicinctus is a member of Chironomidae in the order Diptera. Its recorded origin status on Kauaʻi is introduced.
Cricotopus bicinctus (Cricotopus bicinctus) is documented from Kauaʻi. Non-biting midges have aquatic or semiaquatic larvae and delicate winged adults. Larvae are important components of freshwater food webs. On Kauaʻi, observations are most useful when they record aquatic microhabitat, water conditions, larval case/substrate, adult emergence, and voucher material. Where island-specific host, prey, breeding-site, abundance, or seasonal information is not yet firmly documented, those details should remain tied to direct specimens and field observations rather than inferred from populations elsewhere.
Cricotopus bicinctus is an introduced non-biting midge abundant in Kauaʻi streams. Its aquatic larvae can dominate benthic insect biomass and are eaten by native stream fishes.
Kauaʻi occurrence evidence: Wainiha and Waimea Kauaʻi surveys explicitly record Cricotopus bicinctus; Hawaiian aquatic-insect literature describes it as one of the most ubiquitous introduced stream insects in the archipelago.
The cited occurrence evidence does not by itself establish current abundance or population trend on Kauaʻi.
Life cycle
Egg; larva; pupa; adult.
Habitat
Streams, pools, wet rock, sediments, or other wet substrates depending on species.
Food and ecological role
Larvae may graze algae, collect detritus, filter particles, or prey on small organisms depending on species.
Reproduction
Adults mate near water; eggs are laid in aquatic habitats.
Movement
Adults fly; larvae disperse within water/substrate.
Ecosystem role
Aquatic detritivore/grazer/predator and important prey for stream fauna.
Threats and impacts
Native species can be sensitive to water-quality and flow changes.
Monitoring
Record aquatic microhabitat, water conditions, larval case/substrate, adult emergence, and voucher material.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Cricotopus bicinctus
- Family
- Chironomidae
- Order
- Diptera
- Record type
- species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Present
- Origin
- Introduced
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal description
- Cricotopus bicinctus is a member of Chironomidae in the order Diptera. Its recorded origin status on Kauaʻi is introduced.