THE GROWTH OF Tanypus punctipennis Meigen (DIPTERA, CHIRONOMIDAE) LARVAE IN LABORATORY CONDITIONS AND THE EFFECTS OF WATER TEMPERATURE AND pH

Abstract

Recent taxonomic studies suggest that findings of larval chironomids should be supported also by adult findings in order to obtain more robust and reliable results on the studied group. Moreover identifications of larvae of some species can be made to genus level only due to similarities of some larval characteristics in different species. In such cases, species level identifications can be achieved by the growth of larvae in laboratory conditions. Also, larval culturing under optimum growth conditions will not only make it easy to provide materials for experimental studies and but also achievement of larvae with a higher biomass value to be used as food in the sector. In this study, Tanypus punctipennis Meigen (Diptera, Chironomidae), a very common species in Turkish Thrace, was used as the model organism for culture studies. Individual larvae were cultured from third instar stage to adult form under laboratory conditions. A simple and cheap method is offered for experimental studies on larval growths of chironomids and the effects of water temperature and pH, both with very important roles in larval culturing, were determined. The overall results of laboratory tests showed that the temperature value of 25°C and 7-8 pH interval were the optimal laboratory conditions for culture of T. punctipennis larvae.

Keywords

• freshwater
• midge
• environmental conditions
• rearing
• identification
• freshwater
• midge
• environmental conditions
• rearing
• identification