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The work is the first part of a series of articles intended to comprehensively describe the current state of Chironomidae fauna of the Lower Dnipro on the basis of the long-term studies of larval forms of this group of Diptera insects, widely represented in water bodies of this estuary. Based on the current research, the species composition of larvae of Diptera insects of the Tanypodinae (Diptera, Chironomidae) subfamily, represented in the benthic fauna of various water bodies of the Lower Dnipro, is described. The research was conducted on 18 water bodies, located in the delta and pre-delta areas of the Dnipro River. For the delta area, the following water bodies were researched: mainstream of the Dnipro River, the Viryovchina River, KhersonBilozerskyi floodplain area (the Koshova River, Lake Rohozuvate, Lake Bezmen, Lake Chychkuvate, Lake Stebliivskyi Liman), Kardashynskyi floodplain area (the Chaika River, the strait into Lake Kruhle, the Hadiuchka Strait, Lake Kruhle, Lake Kardashynskyi Liman), Velykyi Potyomkinskyi floodplain area (Lake Zakitne and Lake Nazarove-Pohorile) and Holoprystanskyi floodplain area (Lake Liahushache). For the pre-delta area, the mainstream of the Dnipro River, the Kozak River and Lake Sabetskyi Liman were researched. Based on the obtained data, a characteristic for each of the species of Tanypodinae is given, which includes: the distribution; the seasonality; indicators of quantitative development; the abiotic factors and the species of higher aquatic vegetation inherent in the places of detection of the larvae; the area. The mass and the less developed species of Tanypodinae subfamily and their distributional pattern in the water bodies have been determined. The indexes of occurrence in the benthic samples for the larvae of these species were determined. The comparisons of the indexes for individual water bodies, groups of water bodies (streaming system of the Dnipro River, the tributaries and the straits, the Viryovchina River, the pre-delta area, the delta floodplain areas) and for the water bodies as a whole, were made. The species composition of Tanypodinae larvae of anthropogenically polluted areas of the Lower Dnipro, in particular, its differences for the watercourses and lakes, were noted. Key words: Diptera, larvae, fauna, macrozoobenthos, Lower Dnipro, Chironomidae, Tanypodinae.

Denopelopia amicitia Dantas, Hamada & Mendes was described based on the male and pupae collected in the Brazilian Amazon. Here we describe and illustrate the female and larva of this species. At both stages, D. amicitia is similar to Denopelopia atria Roback & Rutter, which is the only species in the genus with all life stages known until now.

This checklist deals with summarizing all the data on Iranian Chironomidae (Diptera). In total, 34 species from 5 subfamilies are listed as the fauna of Iran: Buchonomyiinae (single species), Chironominae (18 species from 24 genera with some unknown species), Diamesinae (unknown species within 4 genera), Orthocladiinae (8 species from 24 genera with some unknown species) and Tanypodinae (7 species from 10 genera with some unknown species). Three species, Chironomus anthracinus Zetterstedt, 1860, Cladotanytarsus (Cladotanytarsus) mancus (Walker, 1856) and Tanypus punctipennis Meigen, 1818 are new records for the fauna of Iran.

Ablabesmyia cordeiroi Neubern foi descrita originalmente com base em machos coletados na região amazônica, portanto, a fêmea e os imaturos desta espécie são desconhecidos. No presente estudo, os estágios de pupa e larva de A. cordeiroi são descritos e ilustrados. Além disso, uma emenda à diagnose da larva de Ablabesmyia é fornecida. Abalesmyia cordeiroi Neubern was originally described based on adult males collected in the Amazon region; therefore, females and immatures of this species are unknown. In the present study, the pupal and larval stages of A. cordeiroi are described and illustrated. In addition, an amendment to the larval diagnosis of Ablabesmyia is provided.

The genus Monopelopia Fittkau, 1962 is newly recorded from Oriental China. Monopelopia zhengi Lin sp. n., is described and illustrated based on an adult male from Jianfengling National Nature Reserve, Hainan, China. In addition, an updated key to adult males of Monopelopia is provided.

The Chinese species of Macropelopia Thienemann are reviewed. A new species belonging to the subgenus Macropelopia, M. (M.) pergrandis sp. n., is described based on the adult male and pupa. Macropelopia grandivolsella Wang, Cheng et Wang and M. rotunda Wang, Cheng et Wang are synonymized with M. (M.) paranebulosa Fittkau and M. (M.) kibunensis (Tokunaga) respectively, based on reexamination of the type materials. Macropelopia galbina Wang, Cheng et Wang is transferred to the genus Brundiniella, and the male holotype is redescribed.

Three new species of Amnihayesomyia are described from China: A. vittata sp. n. and A. tibetica sp. n. each based on the male and female adults, and A. subflava sp. n. based on the male adult. In addition, a key to the known males of this genus is provided.

One new species of Macropelopia Thienemann (Diptera: Chironomidae: Tanypodinae), M. (Macropelopia) patagonica sp. n. is described and figured as adult male. The specimens were collected from the Patagonian Andes, at San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. In addition, the generic diagnosis of Macropelopia is emended for the adult male.

A new genus of Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) is described based on a single incomplete pupa from Khutel Khara (lower part of the Tsagan Tsab Formation, Lower Cretaceous; Mongolia). The new genus displays a mosaic of Podonominae and Tanypodinae characters. The most distinctive characters of the new taxon are stout strongly darkened anal spurs, strong serration of anal lobes, and peculiar armament at the base of anal lobes, looking as an artichoke-like spinose structure, unique among Chironomidae.

Both sexes of a new fossil genus and species Eoprocladius hoffeinsorum gen. et sp. n. from Eocene Baltic amber are described and illustrated. This is the first report of a chironomid with such a long proboscis within the subfamily Tanypodinae and the tribe Procladiini. Within the family the elongated proboscis with narrow labella and suitable to feed on nectar evolved independently among Eocene and extant adult non-biting midges of the subfamilies Orthocladiinae and Tanypodinae. Djalmabatista maillardi Doitteau & Nel, 2007 from Eocene amber of France is placed in the extant genus Procladius Skuse: Procladius maillardi (Doitteau & Nel, 2007), comb. nov.

Non-biting midges of the genus Pentaneura are small dipterans with larvae inhabiting in a variety of aquatic systems. Despite the wide geographical and ecological range, the systematics and phylogenetic relationships of the genus remains scarcely understood. Here, the taxonomy of the new world genus Pentaneura Phillip (Diptera: Chironomidae: Tanypodinae) is revised. Except for Pentaneura indecisa (Williston, 1896), diagnoses, descriptions, illustrations and taxonomic keys are provided for all previously described species, P. cinerea (Philippi, 1866), P. elisae Fittkau, 1962, P. inconspicua (Malloch, 1915), P. inoyensis Sublette, 1964 and P. vittaria Sublette and Sasa, 1994. Additionally, three new species are described: P. manueli Silva sp. nov. (Brazil), P. neusae Silva sp. nov. (Costa Rica) and P. waniae Silva sp. nov. (United States). We also present the first phylogenetic analysis of Pentaneura based on morphological data. Cladistic analyses were conducted using 61 morphological traits from 25 species, including genera belonging to the nine currently recognized Tanypodinae tribes (Anatopyniini, Clinotanypodini, Coelopyniini, Fittkauimyiini, Macropelopiini, Natarsiini, Pentaneurini, Procladiini and Tanypodini) and all the species within Pentaneura but P. indecisa. We examine the effects of implied weighting by reanalyzing the data with varying values of concavity constant (k). Our analysis supports the monophyly of Pentaneura based on two synapomorphies, in a wide range of weighting factors. Under these conditions, the genus is recovered sister to Parapentaneura, and these as sister to Hudsonimyia. The proposition of the internal phylogenetic structure in Pentaneura is refrained, as no obvious group-forming character was identified.

Identification keys are provided for the final (4th) instar larvae of genera of Chironomidae (Diptera), from aquatic habitats in Australia and New Zealand. Morphological features of taxonomic utility are discussed and illustrated by line drawings. Summaries of described species for each genus and their distribution is provided, with reference to means of further identification where available. In the subfamily Podonominae, 5 genera are keyed of which 3 are recorded from New Zealand; the 4 genera of Aphroteniinae are from Australia (absent from New Zealand); in Diamesinae 1 genus is Australian, 2 are from New Zealand; in the Tanypodinae 21 genera are found in Australia and 4 are from New Zealand; in Orthocladiinae 31 genera are reported from Australia, 14 from New Zealand; and in Chironominae 43 genera are keyed from Australia, 9 from New Zealand. Larvae of Axarus Roback, Chernovskiia Sæther and Omisus Townes (Chironomini) are recognised in Australia for the first time. The undescribed larva of Paucispinigera Freeman, endemic to New Zealand, is keyed and several other New Zealand taxa are included based on unpublished records. Genera reported from Australia and New Zealand as adults, but unknown as larvae, are listed.

Short, standardized gene fragments for species identification (DNA barcodes) have proven effective in delineating closely-related insect species, and can be critical characters to include in taxonomic studies. This is also the case for the species-rich and widely distributed fly family Chironomidae (non-biting midges). Inspired by observed genetic differences in partial COI gene sequences between North American and European populations of the chironomid Ablabesmyia monilis sensu lato, we investigated whether or not the morphology of male and female adults supported the distinction of more than one species. Our results support that the junior synonym Ablabesmyia americana is a valid species separate from A. monilis, and that A. monilis sensu stricto is distributed both in the Palearctic region and in North America. We provide re-descriptions of all of the major life stages of A. americana and of the adult female of A. monilis. Back from the Past: DNA Barcodes and Morphology Support Ablabesmyia americana Fittkau as a Valid Species (Diptera: Chironomidae) © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Three new species of Ablabesmyia are described from Brazil: A. akemiae sp. n. based on the male, female, pupa and larva; A. adamantis sp. n. based on the male, pupa and larva; and A. monticola sp. n. based on the adult male. Ablabesmyia akemiae sp. n. immatures were collected in a small river associated to aquatic vegetation, A. adamantis sp. n. larva was collected in a first order stream associated with accumulated fallen leaves, and adults of A. monticola sp. n. were collected with light-traps, in a mountainous region at about 1000 m altitude.

Six new species of the genus Ablabesmyia are described and illustrated from Oriental China: A. (Ablabesmyia) lyrata sp. n. and A. (Ablabesmyia) pectinata sp. n. each based on the male adult and pupa; and A. (Ablabesmyia) huananensis sp. n., A. (Ablabesmyia) praegracilis sp. n., A. (Ablabesmyia) bifurca sp. n. and A. (Karelia) daiensis sp. n. each based on the male adult. The subgenus Karelia is recorded from China for the first time. In addition, A. (Ablabesmyia) alba Chaudhuri, Debnath et Nandi and A. (Ablabesmyia) maculitibialis Chaudhuri, Debnath et Nandi are redescribed based on the male adult, and new distribution records are given for A. (Ablabesmyia) prorasha Kobayashi et Kubota, A. (Ablabesmyia) amamisimplex Sasa and A. (Ablabesmyia) jogancornua Sasa et Okazawa.

Although recent years have seen increased activity regarding chironomid systematics in the Neotropical region (e.g. Oliveira et al. 2011, 2013, Trivinho-Strixino et al. 2013, 2015, Amora et al. 2015, Parise & Pinho 2016, Andersen et al. 2017, Silva & Song 2018, Trivinho-Strixino & Silva 2018), particularly concerning the subfamily Tanypodinae (e.g. Oliveira & Silva 2011, Silva & Wiedenbrug 2015, Silva et al. 2014a,b; Siri et al. 2015, Silva & Oliveira 2016, Silva & Ferrington 2018), when it comes to some species-rich groups, such as Djalmabatista Fittkau, Larsia Fittkau and Procladius Skuse, the taxonomic knowledge remains fragmentary, with only a few species recorded to the Neotropics.

The monotypic genus Pentaneurella Fittkau & Murray was originally described based on larvae, pupal exuviae and pharate males. The latter prevented the observation of key features, such as wing dimensions, abdominal coloration pattern, and hypopygial apodemes (sternapodeme and phallapodeme), and the description of the adult male was considered incomplete by the authors. Herein, the adult female of Pentaneurella katterjokki is described for the first time, and the adult male, pupa and larva are redescribed and figured based on specimens recently collected in Germany and Norway. We also discuss the phylogenetic position of Pentaneurella. Pentaneurella katterjokki Fittkau & Murray (Chironomidae, Tanypodinae): redescription and phylogenetic position This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Background The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) has been extensively used for phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis in Diptera, but the study of mitogenome is still scarce in the family Chironomidae. Methods Here, the first complete mitochondrial genomes of four Chironomid species representing Diamesinae, Orthocladiinae, Prodiamesinae and Tanypodinae are presented. Coupled with published mitogenomes of two, a comparative mitochondrial genomic analysis between six subfamilies of Chironomidae was carried out. Results Mitogenomes of Chironomidae are conserved in structure, each contains 37 typical genes and a control region, and all genes arrange the same gene order as the ancestral insect mitogenome. Nucleotide composition is highly biased, the control region displayed the highest A + T content. All protein coding genes are under purifying selection, and the ATP8 evolves at the fastest rate. In addition, the phylogenetic analysis covering six subfamilies within Chironomidae was conducted. The monophyly of Chironomidae is strongly supported. However, the topology of six subfamilies based on mitogenomes in this study is inconsistent with previous morphological and molecular studies. This may be due to the high mutation rate of the mitochondrial genetic markers within Chironomidae. Our results indicate that mitogenomes showed poor signals in phylogenetic reconstructions at the subfamily level of Chironomidae.

Out of the 12,100 slide-mounted specimens of Chironomidae collected throughout Korea from February 1977 to March 2016, 271 (2.2%) were from the genus Ablabesmyia (Diptera, Chironomidae, Tanypodinae). These 271 specimens were re-examined and eight species were identified, with three of these species shown to be new to science (A. hanea n. sp., A. microlongistyla n. sp., and A. paralongistyla n. sp.). It was discovered that A. monilis reported in 1981 and A. longistyla reported in 2009 had been misidentified, and corrected as A. prorasha in the present study. Among the eight species found from Korea, A. prorasha was predominant (37.8%), followed by A. longistyla (28.9%), and A. monilis (20.4%). A key of the eight species of Ablabesmyia found in Korea is provided.

A new species of Parapentaneura Stur, Fittkau et Serrano 2006 (Diptera: Chironomidae: Tanypodinae) breeding on phytotelmata of the bromeliad Aechmea distichantha Lemaire in northwestern of argentinean “Yungas” is described and adults and immatures are figured. The first formal description of a Parapentaneura female adult is conducted. Information about bionomics and distribution of the new species is provided. Notes about morphology traits of phytotelm pupae of Tanypodinae are presented. These pupae tend to have thoracic horns relatively long, non-globose, corona absent and the atrium not or slightly lobulated. The phylogenetic relationship between the genera Parapentaneura, Pentaneura Philippi and Hudsonimyia Roback is tested in a phylogenetic analysis in the context of the cladistic setting of Tanypodinae recently proposed and, characters are analyzed and discussed. Fil: Siri, Augusto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Limnología; Argentina Fil: Donato, Mariano Humberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Limnología; Argentina

The monotypic genus Laurotanypus Oliveira, Messias & Silva-Vasconcelos is placed as junior synonym of Procladius Skuse, based mainly on the morphology of immatures. The male of P. travassosi comb. nov. is redescribed and the immature stages are described and illustrated for the first time. In addition, an amendment to the adult male diagnosis of Procladius (Psilotanypus) is provided.

Larvae of the subfamily Tanypodinae are in general regarded as predators. Actual predation has been observed directly in only a few Tanypodinae species, but their behaviour and mouthpart morphology suggest that all Tanypodinae ingest food in the same way and thus are all predators. This view is reflected in most autecological databases. There remains uncertainty for some species, most notably for Monopelopia tenuicalcar (Kieffer 1918). The uncertainty stems from the lack of direct observations, while gut content analysis points to non-animal food sources. A laboratory experiment was carried out in which larvae of Corynoneura sp. were offered to M. tenuicalcar in a set of Petri dishes. All predator and prey larvae were collected from the same locality, where they were the most abundant members of early spring littoral community. M. tenuicalcar showed clear predatory behaviour. In most cases (84 out of 86) the predator larva pierced the larva of Corynoneura and sucked its inner body content instead of engulfing it. Only in two cases did the predator engulf the whole victim. In all cases the seizing and processing of the prey was the same, with the ingestion of the food carried out by strong sucking. Obviously, if the chitinous structures of the prey fit the mouth opening of the predator, it was engulfed completely, otherwise the prey larva’s internal contents were just sucked out. A video of the exceptional case of engulfing the whole prey is available at https://youtu.be/o6-8dA1XDy0. The strategy of sucking out prey may explain why body remnants like head capsules or claws of prey have not been found in the guts of Monopelopia larvae. Instead, the guts of Monopelopia larvae that pierced Corynoneura were green as they were full of algae “stolen” from the intestines of the grazing victims. Piercing and sucking out prey by Tanypodinae may be more common than has been expected before. Due to this, gut content analysis seems to be unreliable for the determination of feeding strategy in Tanypodinae.

The functional traits of species respond to environmental gradient changes, which, in turn, are responsible for the niche specialization of species. We analyzed the niche specialization of several Tanypodinae taxa (predatory non-biting midge, 4th instar, n = 693) along the depth zones of the water in six shallow tropical reservoirs. We measured the body length and diet composition of seven Tanypodinae larvae genus. Community-weighted mean (CWM) traits index was utilized to calculate the niche distribution of body length and diet composition. We analyzed the niche distribution of predator larvae, through a simple linear analysis of CWM index and the depth of the water, and by establishing correlations between body length and diet composition. In our study, it was found that the consumption of oligochaete (b = 0.30, SE ± 0.04, t = 7.02, p = 0.0001, R2 = 0.45) and the body length (b = 0.64, SE ± 0.11, t = 5.44, p = 0.0001, R2 = 0.33) increased in deeper zones. We observed a strong and positive relationship between oligochaete consumption and a longer body (r = 0.91, p = 0.0001). We inferred that changes in habitat characteristics, from littoral to deeper zones of the reservoirs, are expected to have influenced the selection of larvae traits predators. We concluded that body length determines the diet consumption and accurately reflects the niche distribution of Tanypodinae assemblages. The functional trait approach proved to be an efficient tool for the analysis of the ecological processes that determine the structure of a non-biting midge predator assemblage.

The nonbiting midge subfamily Tanypodinae represents one of the most diverse lineages of Chironomidae. Despite the wide distribution and high diversity of tanypodine chironomids, the evolutionary history of the subfamily remains poorly understood. Here, we present the first phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily Tanypodinae based on morphological data. Cladistic analyses were conducted using 86 morphological characters from 115 species belonging to 54 tanypodine genera, including the eight currently recognised tribes: Anatopyniini, Clinotanypodini, Coelopyniini, Macropelopiini, Natarsiini, Pentaneurini, Procladiini and Tanypodini. We use characters from fourth-instar larvae, pupae and adults of both sexes. We examine the effects of implied weighting by reanalysing the data with varying values of concavity constant (k). Our analysis supports the monophyly of Tanypodinae with Podonominae as its sister group. All previously proposed tribes are recovered as monophyletic assemblages under a wide range of weighting factors. Under these conditions, the genus Fittkauimyia is the sister group of the remaining Macropelopiini and is erected as a new monobasic tribe, Fittkauimyiini trib.n. The tribe Pentaneurini is recovered as monophyletic with some internal relationships resolved. The genus Paramerina, recovered as sister of Reomyia + Zavrelimyia, is formally synonymised with Zavrelimyia syn.n., based on morphological similarity in all three life stages and treated as a subgenus of the latter. Finally, the recently suggested synonymies of Gressittius and Guassutanypus with Alotanypus and the establishment of the subgenera Conchapelopia (Helopelopia), Macropelopia (Bethbilbeckia), Monopelopia (Cantopelopia), Thienemannimyia (Hayesomyia) and Zavrelimyia (Reomyia and Schineriella) are investigated. Our results support all proposed changes, except for the subgenus-level status of Helopelopia and Cantopelopia. We suggest re-establishment of Helopelopia as a genus, but refrain from promoting genus-level status of Cantopelopia at present because the apparent sister-relationship between Monopelopia + Nilotanypus likely is due to wing vein reduction caused by miniaturisation. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DF012C17-AFB3-4904-83DC-30DD94D0B376.

Resistance to desiccation in larvae of eight species of aquatic, semiaquatic and terrestrial chironomids (Pseudodiamesa branickii, Macropelopia sp., Prodiamesa olivacea, Micropsectra sp., Chironomus riparius, Chironomus dorsalis, Metriocnemus martini and Camptocladius stercorarius) was studied. The larvae were desiccated in exicator at constant conditions (15 °C, 80% RH) and changes in moisture and body water content was recorded. The LD-50 for loss of body water was calculated. The lowest resistance to loss of body water was found in larvae from subfamilies Tanypodinae and Diamesinae Macropelopia sp. and P. branickii. They survived loss of 49.7 and 56.6% of original water content (presented values are LD-50). On the other hand the highest resistance to water loss was found in C. dorsalis. M. martini and C. stercorarius. The larvae of these species may survive loss of 67.4, 76.6 and 84.2% of original water content. Nevertheless the survival time under experimental conditions depends more closely on larval size than on lethal level of water loss. The smaller larvae desiccated faster and perished sooner than large ones despite they tolerate higher loss of body water.

Macropelopiini is a widely distributed tribe of Tanypodinae, with immature stages inhabiting cool seeps, springs, and small streams. The present study evaluated the monophyly and the supporting synapomorphies within a phylogenetic context for the first time for Macropelopiini. The monophyly and the intergeneric relationships were tested by morphological evidence in a cladistic framework, and the information gained from each homoplastic character was evaluated. The monophyly of Macropelopiini is corroborated through the objective synapomorphy ‘outer fringe decreasing from base to apex ending in small spines’ in the pupa, and the subjective synapomorphies ‘tibial spurs with main teeth and short lateral tooth’ in males and ‘dorsal setae arising from prominent tubercles’ in the pupa. Fittkauimyia Karunakaran, 1969 is excluded from Macropelopiini, Gressitius Sublette & Wirth, 1980 is established as a junior synonym of Alotanypus Roback, 1971, and the new combination Alotanypus antarcticus comb. nov. is proposed. Character combination, mainly through the use of the characters with informative taxonomical value, remains an efficient tool to diagnose the Macropelopiini genera. The new genus Paggipelopia gen. nov. for Paggipelopia spaccesii gen. et sp. nov. is erected and the emendation of the species diagnosis of Wuelkerella toncekensis Anon Suarez & Sublette, 2012 is conducted. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London

Mitochondrial DNA sequences from cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) were used to provide a phylogeny of the Chironomidae (Diptera) from Turkey. Data were obtained from 70 species of Chironomidae belonging to the genera Ablabesmyia, Chironomus, Cladotanytarsus, Conchapelopia, Cricotopus, Cryptochironomus, Dicrotendipes, Endochironomus, Eukiefferiella, Kiefferulus, Macropelopia, Micropsectra, Microtendipes, Paracladopelma, Paracricotopus, Paratanytarsus, Paratendipes, Paratrichocladius, Polypedilum, Psectrocladius, Psectrotanypus, Rheocricotopus, Tanytarsus, Thienemannimyia, Virgatanytarsus and Zavrelimyia. Neighbour-joining (NJ) and maximum likelihood (ML) analyses were used to identify the relationships among species. We confirmed monophyly of all sampled subfamilies and also tribes Chironomini, Tanytarsini, Macropelopiini and Pentaneurini, with the exception of subfamily Tanypodinae in ML analysis. However, in Chironomini, genus Chironomus, Cryptochironomus, Endochironomus and Paratendipes were monophyletic, while Polypedilum was not. Likewise, in Tanytarsini, genus Paratanytarsus and Cladotanytarsus were monophyletic, while Tanytarsus and Micropsectra were not. Also, in Macropelopiini and Pentaneurini, genus Macropelopia and Zavrelimyia were monophyletic. However, Ablabesmyia, genus of Pentaneurini, formed monophyletic group only in NJ analysis. In this study, we determined an unexpected inclusion of a Tanytarsus brundini individual into Micropsectra group. According to our pairwise distance analyses, the mean interspesific divergence was 19.4% for all species studied. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Non-biting midges of the genus Labrundinia (Chironomidae: Tanypodinae) are minute dipterans with immature stages living in a variety of unpolluted water bodies, from small streams and ponds to lakes and bays. Extensively recorded in ecological studies, the genus comprises 39 species, all except one described from areas outside the Palearctic region. Internal structure among Labrundinia species was postulated by S. S. Roback, who recognized four species groups based on morphological characters of immature stages. We examined phylogenetic relationships among known Labrundinia species using partial DNA sequences of the nuclear protein-coding gene CAD and morphological characters. Both analyses with Bayesian inference and parsimony methods recovered the monophyly of Labrundinia, strongly supported by five morphological synapomorphies. Internal relationships within the genus partly supported Roback's species groups with the addition of later described species. Biogeographical inferences were obtained by applying Bayesian binary MCMC (BBM) analysis and favoured a scenario where Labrundinia had its initial diversification in the Neotropical region and that current presence in the Nearctic region and southern South America is due to subsequent dispersal.

Karyotypes and characteristic features of the polytene chromosomes are described for 55 species of the subfamilies Tanypodinae, Diamesinae, and Prodiamesinae; this is almost 3 times as many species as were included in the previous reviews published in the 1980s.

The new genus Metapelopia is established for species of Pentaneurini from the southeast Brazil. Generic diagnoses for larva, pupa and adult male are provided together with descriptions of all life stages of the new species Metapelopia corbii. The pupa and larva of an additional species in Metapelopia is described, but not formally named. In addition, keys to the males, pupae and larvae of genera in the Thienemannimyia group are provided.

Four new species of Clinotanypus Kieffer, 1913 (Diptera: Chironomidae: Tanypodinae) from Brazil are described and figured as male and immatures: Clinotanypus caritus, Clinotanypus gymnos, Clinotanypus setosus and Clinotanypus striatus. Keys to the Neotropical males, pupae and larvae of known species of Clinotanypus are provided. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DAE70C2F-15CA-4B72-9AE5-F601EAD76A7C

The Mesozoic chironomid genus Jurochlus Kalugina, 1985, known only as pupae, is reviewed. Four new species of Jurochlus are described from the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous deposits of Mongolia, viz. J. trivittatus sp. nov., J. limbatus sp. nov., J. lineatus sp. nov. (Shar Teg, J 3 ) and J. adustus sp. nov. (Khutel Khara, J 3 /K 1 ). Both previouslydescribed species, J. sibiricus Kalugina, 1985 and J. rigor Kalugina, 1985, are re-described in detail based on re-examination of the holotypes. The diagnosis of the genus Jurochlus is emended and its systematic position (probably Podonominae or Tanypodinae) is discussed.

Two new species of Hudsonimyia Roback, 1979 (Diptera: Chironomidae: Tanypodinae) are described and illustrated as male, pupa and larva. The generic diagnosis of pupa is emended and keys to males, pupae and larvae of known species are provided. The different life stages for one of the described species were associated by DNA barcodes.

Inventariou-se a fauna de Chironomidae presente no sul do estado do Tocantins, Brasil. Foram realizadas seis coletas bimestrais em 45 locais de coleta com características lóticas no ano de 2006. O material foi coletado manualmente em diversos ambientes, onde verificou-se a abundância e a constância de Chironomidae. A partir do material coletado identificou-se 511 espécimes, montados em lâminas permanentes. Registramos a ocorrência de 30 gêneros distribuídos em três subfamílias (Chironominae, Orthocladiinae e Tanypodinae). Orthocladiinae foi a mais abundante constituindo 55% do total das larvas identificadas. Cricotopus foi o gênero mais abundante, representando 35,20% das larvas totais identificadas, seguido de Thienemanniella 14,85%, Rheotanytarsus 13,65% e Polypedilum 11,90%. A subfamília que apresentou o maior número de gêneros foi Chironominae com 18. O local de coleta mais abundante foi ENP1 com 70 espécimes, seguido de ENPN15 com 65. Os locais ENPN14 e ENP1 foram os que apresentaram o maior número de gêneros, com 11 em cada, ENP1 apresentou o maior número de gêneros acessórios com seis, seguido de EN147 com três gêneros acessórios. Neste estudo não observamos nenhum gênero constante. Todos os gêneros encontrados constituem novas ocorrências para o estado do Tocantins, sendo que 12, até o momento não possuem espécies descritas para o Brasil.Chironomidae (Diptera) to State of Tocantins, Brazil Abstract. Inventoried to Chironomidae fauna in the southern state of Tocantins, Brazil. Were carried out six collections bimonthly on 45 collection sites with lotic characteristics in 2006. The material was collected manually, at manual sampling in the various environments, where we verified abundance and constancy of Chironomidae. From the collected material was identified 511 specimens mounted on permanent slides. We recorded the occurrence of 30 genera distributed in three subfamilies (Chironominae, Orthocladiinae and Tanypodinae). Orthocladiinae was the most abundant constituting 55% of total identified larvae. Cricotopus was the most abundant, representing 35.20% of the total identified larvae, followed by Thienemanniella 14.85%, Rheotanytarsus 13.65% and Polypedilum 11.90%. The subfamily with the highest number of genera, was Chironominae with 18. The most abundant collection site, was ENP1 with 70 specimens, followed by ENPN15 with 65. The collection sites ENPN14 and ENP1 were those with the greatest number of genera, with 11 genera each, ENP1 had the largest number of accessories genera with six, followed by EN147 with three accessories genera. In this study we did not observed any constant genera. All genera found are new records for the state of Tocantins, and 12, have not yet described species for Brazil.

Labrundinia maculata Roback, 1971 is placed as a new junior synonym of Labrundinia longipalpis (Goetghebuer, 1921). The male and female adults, pupa and larva of the species are redescribed and figured. The species is now considered Holarctic in distribution and new records are reported.

Problem statement: Chironomidae have been recorded in rice fields throughout the world including in many countries such as India, Australia and the USA. Although some studies provide the key to genera level and note the difficulty of identifying the larvae to species level. Chironomid researches have been hindered because of difficulties in specimen preparation, identification, morphology and literature. Systematics, phylogenetics and taxonomic studies of insects developed quickly with emergence of molecular techniques. These techniques provide an effective tool toward more accurate identification of ambiguous chironomid species. Approach: Samples of chironomids larvae were collected from rice plots at Bukit Merah Agricultural Experimental Station (BMAES), Penang, Malaysia. A 710 bp fragment of mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI) was amplified and sequenced. Results: Five species of Chironomidae; three species of subfamily Chironominae, Chironomus kiiensis, Polypedilum trigonus, Tanytarsus formosanus, two species of subfamily Tanypodinae, Clinotanypus sp and Tanypus punctipennis were morphologically identified. The phylogenetic relationship among these species was been investigated. High sequence divergence was observed between two individuals of the presumed C. kiiensis and it is suggested that more than one species may be present. However the intraspecific sequence divergence was lower between the other species of Tanypodinae subfamily. Interestingly, Tanytarsus formosanus showed close phylogenetic relationship to Tanypodinae species and this presumably reflect co-evolutionary traits of different subfamilies. Conclusion: The sequence of the mtDNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene has proven useful to investigate the phylogenetic relationship among the ambiguous species of chironomids.

Mandibulate functional mouthparts are reported in males and females of the two Early Cretaceous Chironomidae (Diptera): Wadelius libanicusVeltz et al., 2007 (in Tanypodinae) and Libanochlites Brundin, 1976 (transferred from the Podonominae to the Tanypodinae). Females of Haematotanypus libanicusgen.n. et sp.n. (subfamily Tanypodinae) have mandibulate mouthparts. Although currently considered as plesiomorphic structures, the presence of such mandibulate mouthparts in these Tanypodinae and in the recent Podonominae genera Archaeochlus and Austrochlus could correspond to reversals, based on a parsimony argument after the current chironomid phylogeny. On the contrary, similar mandibulate mouthparts probably are plesiomorphic in the Early Cretaceous Cretaenne kobeyssiigen.n. et sp.n. and Cretaenne inexpectatasp.n. (Aenneinae or stem group of recent Chironomidae).

The present report describes briefly the mitotic, polyneme and polytene chromosomal karyotype (2n=10) of the newly identified Indian specimen, Anatopynia spp. Based on our observations, cytogenetic implications involved were surmised with respect to the short and stumpy fifth element in the polytene complement.

A dated molecular phylogeny is proposed for the Tanypodinae, a diverse subfamily of Chironomidae (Diptera). We used molecular data from fragments of one ribosomal gene (28S), one nuclear protein-coding gene (CAD), and one mitochondrial protein-coding gene (COI), analysed using mixed model Bayesian and maximum likelihood inference methods. All proposed tribes were sampled, namely, Anatopyniini, Clinotanypodini, Coelopyniini, Fittkauimyiini, Macropelopiini, Natarsiini, Pentaneurini, Procladiini and Tanypodini. A multilocus dataset of 1938 characters was compiled from 123 individuals including outgroups. Monophyly was supported for all tribes although some relationships were not robust. Relationships between tribes and some genus groups are highly congruent with a morphology-based estimate. Relationships within tribe Pentaneurini mostly find weak support, yet previously hypothesised groupings and monophyly or lack thereof in well-sampled genera are revealed. The tempo of diversification of the family was deduced by divergence time analysis (BEAST). Origination of a subfamily stem group in the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous was inferred, with all tribes and many genera of Pentaneurini originating and diversifying in the Cretaceous. Some nodes are biogeographically informative. Gene sections supported the backbone, but more extensive sampling is needed to estimate shallower phylogenies and to better understand the tempo and diversification of Tanypodinae.

Methane gas (CH4) has been identified as an important alternative source of carbon and energy in some freshwater food webs. CH4 is oxidized by methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB), and subsequently utilized by chironomid larvae, which may exhibit low δ(13)C values. This has been shown for chironomid larvae collected from lakes, streams and backwater pools. However, the relationship between CH4 concentrations and δ(13)C values of chironomid larvae for in-stream impoundments is unknown. CH4 concentrations were measured in eleven in-stream impoundments located in the Queich River catchment area, South-western Germany. Furthermore, the δ(13)C values of two subfamilies of chironomid larvae (i.e. Chironomini and Tanypodinae) were determined and correlated with CH4 concentrations. Chironomini larvae had lower mean δ(13)C values (-29.2 to -25.5 ‰), than Tanypodinae larvae (-26.9 to -25.3 ‰). No significant relationships were established between CH4 concentrations and δ(13)C values of chironomids (p>0.05). Mean δ(13)C values of chironomid larvae (mean: -26.8‰, range: -29.2‰ to -25.3‰) were similar to those of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) (mean: -28.4‰, range: -29.3‰ to -27.1‰) and tree leaf litter (mean: -29.8 ‰, range: -30.5‰ to -29.1‰). We suggest that CH4 concentration has limited influence on the benthic food web in stream impoundments.