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 Major Groups | Insecta (insects) | Diptera (true flies) | Chironomidae | Chironominae
 

Chironominae

Major Group: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Chironomidae
Subfamily: Chironominae

Descriptive Features:

  • 2 eye spots laid vertically
  • antennae not retractile
  • mentum (M) (main feeding mouthpart) straight but not lying within the head
  • ventromental plates visible alongside mentum
  • some species live in a soft tube made of sand grains
  • some species red when alive (containing haemoglobin)
  • Total length: up to 20mm
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      Chironomus cloacalis

      Taxonomic Checklist: Genera
      (not all larvae known)
      Anuncotendipes
      Chironomus
      Cladopelma curtivalva (Kieffer, 1921)
      Cladotanytarsus
      Conochironomus
      Cryptochironomus griseidorsum (Kieffer, 1917)
      Cryptotendipes (larva unknown)
      Demicryptochironomus 
      Dicrotendipes
      Fissimentum
      Harnischia curtilamellata (Malloch, 1915)
      Harrisius montanus (Skuse, 1889)
      Imparipecten pictipes Freeman, 1961
      Kiefferulus
      Lauterborniella
      Megacentron erebeum (Skuse, 1889)
      Microchironomus tener (Kieffer, 1918)
      Microtendipes umbrosus Freeman, 1955
      Neozavrelia
      ?Omisus
      Paraborniella tonnoiri Freeman, 1961
      Parachironomus delinificus (Skuse, 1889)
      Paracladopelma angustum (Freeman, 1961)
      Paratanytarsus
      Paratendipes
      Parvitergum fuscipenne Freeman, 1961
      Polypedilum
      Pontomyia
      Riethia
      Rheotanytarsus
      Robackia
      Skusella subvittata (Skuse, 1889)
      Stempellina
      Stempellinella
      Stenochironomus watsoni Freeman, 1961
      Stictochironomus
      Tanytarsus
      Xenochironomus canterburyensis (Freeman, 1959)
      Xylochironomus kakadu Cranston, 2006
      Zavreliella marmorata (Van der Wulp, 1858)  
      genera in bold to be confirmed

      Distribution: Australia wide

      Sensitivity Rating: SIGNAL grade 3

      Functional Feeding Group: gathering & filtering collectors

       

      Wakool River at Kyalite, NSW

      Ecology:

       

      Information Sources: ABRS 2012, Bugledich 1997 & 1999, Hawking & Smith 1997, Merritt & Cummins 1978, Cranston 2000
      Key to Genera: Cranston 2000
      Madden 2010 (plating not required, not in key Lauterborniella, Megacentron, ?Omisus, Parvitergum)
      Key to Species: Cranston 2000 (Riethia, Tanytarsus, Chironomus, Dicrotendipes, Kiefferulus, Polypedilum, Zavreliella)

       

      live bloodworms on a snag
       

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