Chironomus riparius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chironomus riparius | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Chironomidae |
| Genus: | Chironomus |
| Species: | C. riparius |
| Binomial name | |
| Chironomus riparius (Meigen, 1804) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Chironomus riparius, also known as Chironomus thummi and commonly known as the harlequin fly, is a species of non-biting midge. Their larvae are known by the common name of blood worm due to their red colouration. It is common in both North America and Europe. The species was described in 1804 by Johann Wilhelm Meigen. C. riparius has been used extensively as a model for genome structure analysis in insects and is also used in toxicology tests and functional developmental genetic studies. Both their adult and larval forms have been implicated as disease vectors but are also an important part of freshwater food chains.
German naturalist Johann Wilhelm Meigen named the genus Chironomus in 1803 [1] and described the harlequin fly species in 1804 as Chironomus riparius.[2]
Description
Life cycle
Eggs are laid in or near the water.[3] Larvae are red due to a large amount of haemoglobin in their blood, which leads to their common name of blood worms.[3][4] The larvae use this haemoglobin as an oxygen store, allowing them to survive in low oxygen conditions such as at the bottom of a lake or in areas with high organic pollution.[4] Larvae build chimneys to live in and protect them from hypoxia until they are ready to become adults.[5] Adults live for only a short period of two or three days. Males form a large mating swarm which the females fly into to select a mate to breed.[3][4]
Distribution and habitat
Predation
Larvae are predated upon by many other species of insect and also by fish.[4]
Use in genetic experimentation
Chironomus riparius are easy to maintain in a laboratory environment and has been used extensively as a model for genome structure analysis in insects and is also used in toxicology tests and functional developmental genetic studies.[7]
