They are capable of passively catching larger food than just algae and detritus, e.g. larvae of chironomids and larvae of juvenile black flies.
Larvae of black flies of the mentioned genera are large (up to 10–13 mm long) and they can become active predators, including engaging in cannibalism [28, 29].
The consumption of food rich in calories gives them an opportunity to fin-ish their preimaginal development in the shortest time (for two months from the mid-June until mid-August) at low water temperatures (≤10°С).