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Chironomidae (Diptera) are among the most diverse and widespread aquatic insects, with roughly 5,500 described species. However, prior to the present work, no species of Chironomidae had been documented from the island of Hispaniola. Collections of non-biting midges, with emphasis on the lotic fauna, were made in the Dominican Republic during July of 2015. In total, 578 specimens belonging to 27 genera and at least 44 species within the subfamilies Chironominae (20 taxa), Orthocladiinae (16 taxa) and Tanypodinae (8 taxa) were found. The subfamilies Chironominae and Orthocladiinae predominated. Polypedilum was the most widespread and diverse genus of Chironominae. Metriocnemus were collected in bromeliad tanks. The chironomid fauna in Dominican Republic includes multiple genera with worldwide distributions, including Holarctic and Neotropical components.

The Wiederholm 1983 key to the larvae of the Holarctic Chironomidae was by far the most used book during my PhD and my post-doctoral years. It shaped my understanding of chironomid classification and identification, and provided the basis for most of my work as a chironomid ecologist and palaeoecologist. It is, therefore, with high expectations (will there be new taxa?) and some dread (will I have to rethink my classification?) that I opened the copy of the revised “Chironomidae of the Holarctic region. Key and diagnoses Larvae” that was kindly provided to me by Lennart Cederholm at Scandinavian Entomology Ltd. At first glance, the book, edited by Trond Andersen, Pete Cranston, and John Epler, does not look much different than the original edited by Torgny Wiederholm. It has the same cover, color, and is similarly massive, although the format has changed the book has now become several centimeters broader. My first impression was one of slight disappointment. Many of the figures are obviously identical as in the 1983 version, but not as well reproduced. In many sections the text also remains more or less the same, especially in the larval descriptions for the different genera. The chapters are presented in a similar order, starting with an introduction and a section describing the morphology of the larvae, followed by a key to the different subfamilies. These initial chapters are followed by sections dealing with the different subfamilies: Buchonomyiinae, Podonominae, Tanypodinae, Telmatogetoninae, Diamesinae, Prodiamesinae, Orthocladiinae, and Chironominae. The book also includes a foreword and an index of the discussed Holarctic chironomid taxa.

Despite the publication of an intended consistent terminology for the morphology of chironomid larvae (Saether 1980) as applied in Wiederholm et al (1983), two areas have remained controversial, with inconsistently applied terminology. The first and perhaps most confusing concerns the dorsal head sclerites, the second, the terminology of the mandibular teeth of Tanypodinae. In preparation for the 2nd edition of the Holarctic larval keys, I have attempted to reconcile differing approaches to naming the parts of these larval cephalic structures.

Fil: Paggi, Analia Constancia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnologia "Dr. Raul A. Ringuelet". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Limnologia; Argentina

The International Project Collection at the Museum of Zoology, University of Bergen, contains the holotypes of 239 species of Chironomidae, and paratypes of an additional 133 species, Table 1. More than 1750 slides with type material are housed in the collection. Most of the types belong in the subfamilies Orthocladiinae and Chironominae, but types of Usambaromyiinae, Podonominae, Tanypodinae, Buchonomyiinae, Diamesinae and Prodiamesinae are also represented.

Just after sorting, the larvae were isolated in small vials in order to be sure about the associations. The vials stayed open and as soon as the larvae became pupae, the larval exuviae was fixed and the pupa transferred to a larger container with a lower superficial tension (provided by the superficial area) so they could emerge. The vials suggested by EPLER (1995; 2001) and by MERRIT, RESH & CUMMINS (1996) weren’t efficient for most of the chironomids I’ve tried unsuccessfully to rear.