| Analysis of the karyotype of the polytene chromosomes in the fourth instar larvae
has indicated the presence of a much larger Chironomus fauna than is listed in the
revision of Townes (1945) or the Nearctic catalog (Oliver & Dillon, 1990). This list gives some information on the larval morphology, karyotype and distribution of those species that have been recognized, but it should be noted that even this list is not exhaustive as available material includes a number of specimens that do not easily fit even this expanded list. In many cases the assigned names result from unpublished studies with Jim Sublette, and without the assistance of Jim, and of Wolfgang Wülker, this list would not have reached even the present degree of development. |
In the following descriptions, reference is made to the mentum and mandible types as described for European Chironomus species by Webb & Scholl (1985) and Vallenduuk & Moller Pillot (1997)
The mentum type is defined only by the degree of development of the 4th lateral teeth:
Type I - height in same line as the rest of the lateral teeth;
Type II - 4th laterals reduced, height about equal to that of the 5th laterals;
Type III - 4th laterals further reduced, height less than that of the 5th laterals.
The mentum may be further classified by the characters of the central trifid tooth:
Type I - C2 teeth only partially separate from C1, i.e. as shoulders on C1.
Type II - C1 broad, C2 teeth distinctly separated.
Type III - C1 tooth relatively narrow and much higher than the separated C2 teeth.
Type IV - C1 tooth relatively narrow, but only slightly higher than the separated C2 teeth
The mandible type is defined by the degree of darkening and separation of the 3rd inner tooth:
Type I - 3rd tooth pale and almost completely fused on lower margin;
Type II - some degree of pigmentation and tooth partly free on lower margin;
Type III - 3rd tooth as dark as other inner teeth and completely separate.
Species
Subgenus Chironomus
thummi-cytocomplex
(includes the modified variants due to fusion of arm G)
C.
nr. annularius
(sp. 3d)
C. anthracinus-group:
C. anthracinus
Zetterstedt (sp. q), C. nr. anthracinus
(sp. 3c), C. rempeli Thienemann (sp. 2m), C. nr. anthracinus sensu Butler et al. (see C. atrella).
C. athalassicus
Cannings (sp. 2v)
C. atrella-group: C. atrella (Townes)
(sp. i), C. nr. atrella
(sp. 2n),
C.
?nr. atrella (C. 'grodhausi') (sp. 2r)
C. cucini
Webb (sp. o)
C. decorus-group: C. harpi
Sublette (Sp. 2z), C. mozleyi Wülker, C. winneli Wülker, C. 'bifurcatus', sp. b, sp. c, C. sp. j, C. 'blaylocki', sp. 2a, sp. 2b, sp. 2g (= C. decorus -group sp. 2 of Butler et al.),
sp. 3a (=C. decorus Johannsen), sp. 3f (=C. decorus Rothfels & Fairlie), sp. 3h, sp. 3i, sp. 3j, C. sp. 4l. (see also pseudothummi-cytocomplex: sp. z, sp. 2t & sp. 3r; and maturus-cytocomplex: C. maturus & C. whitseli)
C. decumbens-like: C. decumbens(?) (sp. 2x), C.
nr. decumbens (sp. h)
C. hyperboreus Staeger
(sp. x), C.
nr. hyperboreus
(sp. u), C. hyperboreus sensu Rempel (see C. rempeli)
C. jonmartini sensu Kiknadze et al. (1996) (sp. 4e)
C. longistylus
Goetghebuer (sp. 3n)
C. major
Wülker & Butler (sp. 2q) (not C. major Goetghebuer)
C. pilicornis (Fabricius) (sp. m)
C. plumosus-group: C. balatonicus Dévai et al. (sp. 3q), C. entis
Schobanov & Djomin (sp. 3o), C. muratensis Ryser et al. (sp. 3t), C. plumosus (Linn.) (sp. p), C. vancouveri
(= C. plumosus)
C. prior Butler (sp. 3z)
C. riparius-group: C. riparius Meigen (sp. y), sp. f, sp. 2e. (see also pseudothummi-cytocomplex: sp. e & sp. 2c)
C. staegeri-group: C. crassicaudatus Malloch (sp. 2j), C. frommeri Sublette & Sublette (sp. 2d), C. staegeri Lundbeck (sp. s)
C. stigmaterus Say (sp. n)
C. tardus Butler (sp. 3s)
C. tenuistylus Brundin (sp. 3m)
C. 'tigris' Butler & Kiknadze (sp. r) - 2 chromosomes only.
C. trabicola Shobanov et al. (sp. w)
C.
nr. tuxis
(sp. 2u)
C. utahensis
Malloch (sp. 2p)
C.
sp. g
C.
sp. k
C. species Apple Valley of Wülker (sp. 3b)
C.
sp. 3g
C.
sp. 3p
C. species Le1 of Kiknadze et al. (sp. 3x)
C. species Cape Cod (sp. 4k)
pseudothummi-cytocomplex
C. riparius-group: C. acidophilus (sp. 4f); sp. e; sp. 2c (see also thummi-cytocomplex: C. riparius, sp. f & Sp. 2e)
C. decorus-
or riparius-group: sp. 3l
C. decorus-group: sp. z; sp. 2t (see also main listing under thummi-cytocomplex)
C. calligraphus-group: C. anonymus
Williston (sp. 2o), C. karensis
(=C. anonymus), C. calligraphus
Goeldi (sp. 2w), C.
species WOC of Wülker & Morath (sp. 3r)
C. acerbiphilus Tokunaga (sp. 4j)
C. strenzkei Fittkau (sp. 4b)
C.
sp. v
maturus-cytocomplex:
C. maturus Johannsen (sp. d)
C. whitseli Subl. & Subl. (sp. 2f)
columbiensis-cytocomplex
C. columbiensis Wülk., Subl., Mor., & Mart. (sp. 4a)
Species with unknown cytology:
C. atritibia Malloch (sp. 4c)
C. tuberculatus Townes (sp. 4d)
Other names in the literature:
C. species Coyote Creek of Wülker, Dévai & Dévai (see C. calligraphus)
C.
sp. 51 sensu Bay & Anderson, Biever, Morrow, etc. (see C. anonymus)
C. sp. 51 sensu Nordland et al. (see C. calligraphus)
C. sp. 52 sensu Wülker & Morath (see C. calligraphus)
Species Ea of Butler & Kiknadze (see C. atrella)
Subgenus Camptochironomus
Camptochiroomus-cytocomplex
C. dilutus Shobanov et al. (sp. t)
C. pallidivittatus sensu Edwards (sp. 2l)
C. tentans Fabricius (sp. 3y)
Unknown Cytology:
C. vockerothi Rasmussen (sp. 3w)
Subgenus Lobochironomus
Three species are reported from North America, but only C. dorsalis is known cytologically:
C. austini Beck & Beck
C. dorsalis Meigen
C. mendax Storå
Genus Einfeldia (s.l.)
Benthalia brunneipennis
(Johannsen) (sp. 3k)
Einfeldia pagana
(Meigen) (sp. 2k)
Einfeldia
sp. (sp. 2y)
Genus Chaetolabis
Chaetolabis is normally considered a subgenus of Chironomus, but Yamamoto (1987) gives it full generic status.
Ch. nr. atroviridis
(sp. 2h)
Ch. nr. atroviridis
(sp. 2i)
Ch. ochreatus
Townes (sp. 3e)
Included in Tendipes by Townes (1945)
Goeldichironomus carus
(Townes) (sp. 2s)