US Fish & Wildlife Service
Date of this Version
1990
Abstract
We provide a current listing of the species of midges (Diptera:Chironomidae) in the southeastern United States (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). This checklist should aid in research on this group of insects, which have often proved useful in the assessment of water quality. We document each species' distribution and general habitat and provide the best taxonomic reference to facilitate the identification or description of species in that genus. Changes in nomenclature, unique ecological traits, bibliographic sources, or other items of information are summarized in a paragraph on each genus. Of the 10 subfamilies currently recognized in the Chironomidae, 7 occur in the Southeast. The chironomid fauna of the six southeastern States now consists of 164 described genera and 479 described species. In addition we have listed 14 genera and 245 species that are tentatively noted as undescribed or that have been illustrated but not officially described. Regional distribution of the principal subfamilies indicated that the species of Chironominae and Tanypodinae were concentrated in the coastal region, whereas the Orthocladiinae were evenly distributed from the coast to the mountains. Considering the major habitats (lakes, rivers, and streams), Tanypodinae were about evenly distributed; Orthocladiinae were more predominant in streams and Chironominae in lakes.
Comments
Published by the United States Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service, 1-52, (1990)