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Brine flies (Ephydra gracilis) on the surface layer of the Great Salt Lake,
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Wayne Wurtsbaugh
Registered: January 2000
Posts: 511
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Brine fly (Ephydra gracilis)larvae grow in profusion on the stromatolites in the Great Salt Lake of Utah. The adults emerge and form massive swarms along the shoreline and on the surface film, thus becoming part of the neuston community. The larvae and adults are important food for many birds that use the lakeThe photo here was taken in the calm waters of the Antelope Island Marina.
More information on brine flies in the Great Salt Lake is available: Biostrome communities and mercury and selenium bioaccumulation in the Great Salt Lake(Utah,USA). Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh,Jodi Gardberg, Caleb Izdepski. 2011. Science of the Total Environment. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.07.027
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| · Date: August 22, 2011 · Views: 1,304 · Filesize: 39.0kb, 1007.0kb · Dimensions: 2206 x 1526 ·
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Keywords: insects, salt, hypersaline, saline, surface tension, birds, swarms, limnology
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