Dietary Effects on Lipid and Fatty Acid Composition of Clistoronia magnifica (Trichoptera:Limnephilidae)

Dietary influences on growth and biochemical composition of the caddisfly Clistoronia magnifica were examined with a variety of diets including wheat, microbially conditioned alder, and wheat plus alder. Larvae receiving wheat were able to override direct temperature effects, while those on alder could not. Based on larval growth rates, and pupal weights and lipid contents, we concluded that alder alone was a poor quality food for late instar C. magnifica. A diet of alder plus wheat allowed the most growth, and produced the largest pupae, however pupae from larvae given just wheat had the largest lipid stores. Among-treatment differences in protein and lipid content, and fatty acid composition verified the importance of fatty acids synthesized from dietary carbohydrate. It appears that a carbohydrate source for the metabolism of storage lipid is a major requirement for late instar C. magnifica.