[Taxacom] Mystery Aquatic Plant

[Julio Rivera]

Hi...just a quick clarification. The "snails" attached to the plant leaves
are actually black fly pupae. Black flies are members of the dipterous
family Simuliidae. It is hard to tell from the picture but they might be
members of the genus *Simulium*. Several species of this genus found in the
Congo are vectors of the parasitic nematode *Onchocerca volvulus* which
causes river blindness disease or onchocerciasis to humans.

Cheers!


-- 
*Julio Rivera
*Associated Researcher
ZOOTAXA Editor for Insecta-Mantodea
Postal Address:
Museo de Entomología *Klaus Raven Buller*
Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina
Apartado Postal 456
Lima 100
Peru
E.mail: jrivera at lamolina.edu.pe
<jrivera at lamolina.edu.pe>Skype: julio.rivera.mantodea
Telephone (mobil): (+51) 9550-29313