Chironomus Meigen, 1803

Cranston, Peter S., 2007, The Chironomidae Larvae Associated With The Tsunami-Impacted Waterbodies Of The Coastal Plain Of Southwestern Thailand, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 55 (2), pp. 231-244 : 237

Chironomus Meigen

( Figs. 32, 34–36)

Chironomus is one of the largest, and most difficult genera of chironomids. Adult morphology is rather homogeneous, and progress in separation of larvae is modest. Larvae are collector-gatherers, often found in organically enriched aquatic environments, both lotic and lentic. Two larval types are distinguished:

Chironomus javanus (Kieffer) is somewhat atypical in resembling that of Kiefferulus in having numerous premandibular teeth, specifically 6–7 teeth ( Fig. 35, pmd). However, this larva displays the characteristic striations at the base of the mandible ( Fig. 32, arrow) possessed by virtually all species of Chironomus and molecular data show it is a Chironomus ( Martin et al., 2007) . The remaining larvae belonging to Chironomus , all with a two-toothed premandible ( Fig. 36, pmd), belong to what is undoubtedly a heterogeneous assemblage of species which, lacking rearings to adult males, cannot be discriminated or named with certainty. Amongst them undoubtedly is C. kiiensis Tokunaga , identified as such from a pharate male although without being able to confirm the distinctive wing pattern in the teneral pharate wing.