Nutrition
Adult members of Phryganeidae are not known to eat. If they do happen to ingest anything its liquids like sap and nectar. Larvae can be predators, detrivores, or herbivores. As predators, the larvae either actively chase their prey or wait for prey to come to them. As detrivores, the larvae do not necessarily do all of the decomposing. They eat rotting wood or leaves that have already been partially broken down by bacteria and/or fungi. The larvae with this feeding behavior actually get most of their nutrients not from the plant material but from the bacteria and fungi. Herbivorous larvae will often just scrape algae off of aquatic surfaces.
This larva is examining some animal debris for a potential meal.
This larva is scraping algae off the rock for dinner!
Phryganeidae can also serve as a means of nutrition for other
organisms. Many fish, including trout and bass eat members of
Phryganeidae. Frogs, also, would love to munch on some
Large Caddisflies!