CHIRONOMUS Journal of Chironomidae Research

We need chironomid symposia!

Torbjørn Ekrem — 2022-12-30

A case of phoresis of midges on Zygoptera

Narcís Prat — 2022-03-07

The Chironomus species studied by Letha Karunakaran in Singapore, with a review of the status of selected South-East Asian Chironomus

Jon Martin — 2022-09-15

In the 1960s Letha Karunakaran studied the chironomid fauna of Singapore but faced a lack of sufficiently detailed descriptions to enable identification of her material with any certainty. She recognized seven species of Chironomus (s.s) but sent me fixed larval material of only four of these which she tentatively identified as C. apicatus Johannsen 1932, C. costatus Johannsen 1932, C. javanus Kieffer 1924, and C. stupidus Johannsen 1932. She sent fixed larvae to me for confirmation of her identifications, but died before I was able to determine accurate identities from morphology alone. With additional comparative material, along with polytene chromosome banding patterns and DNA barcode sequence from the mitochondrial COI gene, the species have been identified as a form of C. flaviplumus (auct, not Tokunaga)(here called C. flaviplumus Type B), C. circumdatus Kieffer 1916, probably C. striatipennis Kieffer 1910, and Kiefferulus barbatitarsis (Kieffer 1911), respectively. The identification of one species as a form of C. flaviplumus required an assessment of the present state of knowledge of this species where the name has been applied to at least five different species. Determination of a valid name for this species is not currently possible. The confusion of species identification is an indication that there are a number of closely related species which constitute a “C. flaviplumus group”.

Where the rare species hide: a new record of Parachironomus monochromus (van der Wulp, 1874) for Slovakia from artificial urban waterbodies

Ladislav Hamerlik — 2022-09-22

Parachironomus monochromus (van der Wulp, 1874) was recorded for the first time in Slovakia in an urban pond and a city fountain along with a total of 27 other chironomid taxa recorded both as larvae and pupal exuviae. Our finding emphasizes the role of urban waterbodies as habitats for rare species and for maintaining and documenting aquatic biodiversity in cities.

Nematodes infest winter-active chironomids in Minnesota trout streams

Hannah Bodmer — 2022-12-28

We present preliminary findings of the effects of nematode infestation on winter-active chironomid biology, and how short-term temperature spikes could affect host-parasite interactions. Results are limited but indicate nematodes may infest winter-active chironomid communities and significantly affect host chironomid biology. Further research on winter-active insects should include investigations into nematode parasitism to better understand how climate change will affect chironomid survival at the population and community level.

A home at last! Changania choui Tseng, 1965 belongs to Thienemanniella Kieffer, 1911 (Diptera: Chironomidae: Orthocladiinae)

Martin Spies — 2022-03-07

The midge Changania choui Tseng, 1965 (Insecta, Diptera, Nematocera), originally described in the family Cecidomyiidae and recently transferred to the Ceratopogonidae, is recognised as an adult female in the Chironomidae, subfamily Orthocladiinae. The type material is missing, and the published description and illustrations are limited. Although the genus name Changania Tseng, 1965 becomes a new junior synonym of Thienemanniella Kieffer, 1911, Thienemanniella choui (Tseng 1965), new combination, should be treated as a nomen dubium.

Verifying Australian Nilotanypus Kieffer (Chironomidae) in a global perspective: molecular phylogenetic analysis, new species and emended generic diagnoses

Peter S. Cranston — 2022-06-27

Molecular data support two distinct species of Nilotanypus Kieffer (Chironomidae: Tanypodinae) differentiated on morphology in all stages. Each is described as Nilotanypus haplochelus new species and Nilotanypus ctenochelus new species respectively. Morphological differentiation is stronger in the larva and pupa, with adult stages less well differentiated, as seems usual in the genus. Both species are distributed widely across the Australian continent, but seemingly absent from offshore islands and Tasmania. A tendency towards lotic psammophily (sand-dwelling) is evident, with sympatry at some tropical / subtropical locations. Additional molecular data from non-Australian taxa indicates that N. ctenochelus is sister to all other sampled taxa and N. haplochelus to an undescribed species from oriental China. Review of all stages of several non-Australian species requires revised generic diagnoses, and, critically, recognition of Pentaneura comata Freeman 1953 as synonymous with the type of the genus, Nilotanypus remotissimus Kieffer 1923 (new synonym).

Two new species of Monopelopia Fittkau, 1962 from forests in India along with a key to adult males of Oriental and Palearctic species (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Debarshi Mondal — 2022-08-17

Two new species of Monopelopia Fittkau, 1962 are described and illustrated from the Oriental region based on adult males and immature stages. Monopelopia (Monopelopia) recta sp. n. and Monopelopia (Monopelopia) obscurata sp. n. are described from India and a DNA barcode of M. recta is compared with congeneric sequences in NCBI GenBank. Additionally, a key to the adult males of genus Monopelopia reported from the Oriental and Palearctic regions is given.

Patrick (Paddy) Ashe 18.03.1954 – 19.06.2022

Declan Anthony Murray — 2022-12-28

The 21st International Symposium on Chironomidae – 2022 online

Richard Cornette — 2022-04-19

We announce that the 21st International Symposium on Chironomidae in 2022 will be held online and provide the following url to the symposium website: https://kinki-convention.jp/isc2022/.

BOOK: Chironomidae of Central America: An Illustrated Guide to Larval Sub-fossils

Ladislav Hamerlik — 2022-07-07