Comparison of acute toxicity of two neonicotinoid insecticides, imidacloprid and clothianidin, to five cladoceran species

Abstract

The acute toxicity (48-hr) of old (imidacloprid) and new (clothianidin) neonicotinoid insecticides to five cladoceran species and species sensitivity distribution (SSD) for cladocerans and other aquatic organisms to these insecticides are compared here. The sensitivities to both insecticides were in the following descending order: Ceriodaphnia>Daphnia>Moina. Differences in the 5% hazardous concentration (HC5) threshold between the two species taxa to each compound indicated that clothianidin was 4 times less toxic than imidacloprid only to cladocerans.