Benthic+Macro+Invertebrates

The Water Victoria Environmental Handbook (1989) also listed the macro invertebrates of Victoria's freshwater systems. I have collated a list of those believed to exist in the Watson Creek catchment at that time.

Our trapping and collecting from the School's watercourse may be able to confirm some of that data for 2011, more than 20 years later.

//What species have you trapped?// //What does this mean for the health of the ecosystem in general and for the quality of the water and the diversity of larger organisms this water course can support?//

** Benthic Macro Invertebrates of Watsons Creek ** The following information was collated by Water Victoria in 1989 and published in their resource: An Environmental Handbook. This data is for the Watsons Creek Catchment at that time. This data represents 4 Phyla, 9 Classes, 16 Orders and 44 Families of the Animal Kingdom – just in the fresh water!


 * ** PHYLUM ** ||  ** CLASS **  ||  ** ORDER **  ||  ** FAMILY **  ||
 * Annelida ||  Hirundinea (leeches)  ||   ||  Not identified  ||
 * || Oligochaeta (worms)  ||   ||  Not identified  ||
 * || Polychaeta (worms)  ||   ||  Not identified  ||
 * Arthropoda ||  Arachnida  ||  Acarina  ||  Not identified  ||
 * || Crustacea  ||  Amphipoda (side swimmers)  ||  Ceinidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Eusiridae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Gammaridae  ||
 * ||  ||  Cladocera (water fleas)  ||  Daphiniidae  ||
 * ||  ||  Decapoda (shrimps, prawns and crabs)  ||  Atyidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Grapsidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Hymenosomatidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Parastacidae  ||
 * ||  ||  Isopoda  ||  Not identified  ||
 * ||  ||  Pstracoda  ||  Not identified  ||
 * || Insecta  ||  Coleoptera (beetles)  ||  Dytiscidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Gyrinidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Helminthidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Helodidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Hydrochidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Hydrophilidae  ||
 * ||  ||  Collembola (springtails)  ||  Not identified  ||
 * ||  ||  Diptera (midges, mosquitoes and flies)  ||  Athericadae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Ceratopogonidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Chironomidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Culicidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Simuliidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Stratiomyidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Tabanidae  ||
 * ||  ||  Ephemeroptera (mayflies  ||  Baetidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Leptophlebiidae  ||
 * ||  ||  Hemiptera (bugs)  ||  Corixidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Notonectidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Velldae  ||
 * ||  ||  Odonata (dragon and damsel flies)  ||  Coenagrionidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Lestidae  ||
 * ||  ||  Trichoptera (caddis flies)  ||  Conoesucidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Leptoceridae  ||
 * Mollusca ||  Bivalvia (mussels)  ||  Veneroida  ||  Sphaeriidae  ||
 * || Gastropoda (snails)  ||  Basommatophora  ||  Amphibolidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Physidae  ||
 * ||  ||  Mesogastropoda  ||  Hydrococcidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Hyrobiidae  ||
 * ||  ||   ||  Not identified  ||
 * Platyhelminthes ||  Turbellaria (flatworms)  ||   ||  Not identified  ||