A novel leaf-rolling chironomid, Eukiefferiella endobryonia sp. nov. (Diptera, Chironomidae, Orthocladiinae), highlights the diversity of underwater chironomid tube structures

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

The non-biting midges, Chironomidae (Diptera), are dominant components of most freshwater ecosystems. Many chironomids construct tubes or cases as larvae out of various materials bound together with silk. The structures of tubes show a wide range of variation, and some are morphologically comparable to those of caddisflies. Herein a new species is described, Eukiefferiella endobryonia sp. nov., which exhibits a very unusual behavior in which it constructs tubes from aquatic mosses. This species’ fourth-instar larvae construct their cases exclusively from the leaves of Fontinalis mosses (Hypnales: Fontinalaceae) and exhibit a stereotyped behavior in which they remain attached to the apical shoot of the moss stem. The larvae then pupate within the case. The case of E. endobryonia sp. nov. represents one of only a few examples of chironomid tubes made exclusively out of plants. Based on the species delimitation analyses using the partial COI sequences, together with some morphological and behavioral characteristics, this species is hypothesized to be a member of devonica group, and especially may have a close affinity to E. dittmari (Lehman). A provisional typology for the diversity of chironomid tube structures is provided, with a summary of different tube structures, which can be used for future research.

Related collections

Most cited references 156

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Rebuilding community ecology from functional traits.

Brian McGill, Brian Enquist, Evan Weiher … (2006)

There is considerable debate about whether community ecology will ever produce general principles. We suggest here that this can be achieved but that community ecology has lost its way by focusing on pairwise species interactions independent of the environment. We assert that community ecology should return to an emphasis on four themes that are tied together by a two-step process: how the fundamental niche is governed by functional traits within the context of abiotic environmental gradients; and how the interaction between traits and fundamental niches maps onto the realized niche in the context of a biotic interaction milieu. We suggest this approach can create a more quantitative and predictive science that can more readily address issues of global change.