Chironomus alternans Type II - Edward 1964
Chironomus februarius - Martin 1966
Chironomus februarius (Nomen nudum) - Martin 1967; 1969a; Cranston & Martin 1989; Bugledich et. al. 1999.
Chironomus alternans a - Lentzios & Stocker 1979; Lentzios et al. 1980; Martin & Lee 1984
Males:
Wing length about 2.6 - 4.3 mm. Antennal ratio (AR) about 2.9 - 3.4.
Head, antennae and mouth parts varying from light to dark brown. Frontal tubercles present, mostly about 10 - 15 micron, but occasionally to 35 micron. Palpal proportions about 50 : 55 : 190 : 235 : 375. About 15 - 28 clypeal setae.
Thorax has a greenish grey, greyish or brown background; stripes, postnotum and sternopleuron dark grey or brown; thorax pruinose. Perhaps 12 acrostichal setae; 9 - 25 dorsocentrals; 4 - 6 prealars; setae of scutellum in approximately two rows, about 2 - 9 in anterior row, about 9 - 16 in posterior row. VR about 0.94 - 1.05.
Legs yellowish brown or yellowish green without definite markings. LR about 1.5 - 1.7.
Wings with anterior veins hardly darker than posterior; crossvein slightly darkened.
Male abdomen variable in coloration, may be like that of C. cloacalis, or may have a dark band across the centre of each segment.
Leg lengths (microns) and proportions as follows:
|
|
Fe |
Ti |
Ta1 |
Ta2 |
Ta3 |
|
PI |
1205 |
1085 |
1745 |
905 |
775 |
|
PII |
1285 |
1195 |
655 |
375 |
260 |
|
PIII |
1490 |
1480 |
1120 |
635 |
480 |
|
|
Ta4 |
Ta5 |
LR |
F/T |
BR |
|
PI |
645 |
320 |
1.56-1.65 |
1.08-1.15 |
2.0-2.6 |
|
PII |
180 |
140 |
0.56-0.59 |
1.06-1.11 |
|
|
PIII |
300 |
180 |
0.72-0.80 |
1.00-1.01 |
|
Types:
Holotype male: Echuca, Victoria, 24.x.1962, J. Martin, (♂ 10)
Allotype female: Data as for holotype , 6.xii.1961 (♀ 9).
Paratypes: 9♂, 13♀, data as for holotype but various dates from February 1960 to October 1962.
Type material currently in collection of Jon Martin, but will eventually be distributed to the ANIC and other institutions.
Found: New South Wales - Barmah Ferry; Cooranbong; Corowa; 8 km Culcairn; Deniliquin; Griffith; Hexham; 15 km n. Holbrook; Tenterfield; Thredbo Village; Wheeny Creek, near Upper Colo; Willbriggie.
Queensland - Atkinsons Dam; Toomba Lake 100 km nw Charters Towers; Dawson River (second crossing), Fernvale; 60 Km n. of Injune; Kilcoy; Lotus Creek; Mackay; Noosaville; St. Lucia; Sarina; Somerset Dam; Tarampa; Common, Townesville; Townesville South; Yeerongpilly.
South Australia - Dawesley Hill, 1.6 Km e. Dawesley; Hawker; Lake Edward, w. Kalangadoo; Brown Lake, Mt. Gambier; Oratunga Creek.
Victoria - Albert Park; Bairnsdale; Bridgewater; Chiltern; Echuca (type locality); Elphinstone; 7 Km n. Hepburn Springs; Lake Cullullerane; Royal Botanical Gardens, Melbourne; Merbein; North Balwyn; Nyah; Ocean Grove; 5 Km Orbost; Perry Bridge; Edwardes Lake, Reservoir; South Warrandyte; Emu Bottom, Sunbury; Warracknabeal; Melbourne Water Metropolitan Farm, Werribee; Wycheproof.
Western Australia - Armadale; Bell Swamp, Upper Swan; Murdoch Swamp; 1.5 Km s. Yarloop.
Also found on Norfolk Island - Bridle Trail.
Although classed as a nomen nudum, this species was described and types designated in an Martin (Ph.D. Thesis 1966). A multiple discriminant function analysis in this thesis indicated some morphological differences from the C. oppositus group, but none from C. cloacalis