Abstract
Chironomid larvae and pupae were studied in selected sections of Eriora River, Delta State, Nigeria with the aim of identifying taxa assemblages and analyzing their response to water quality pa- rameters. Macroinvertebrate samples were collected in four stations along a forested ecotone using the kick sampling technique over a six-month period. A total of 12 chironomid species comprising of 1081 individuals were collected. The most abundant taxon was Cricotopus sp., (23.5%) fol- lowed by Orthocladius sp. (20.0%). The chironomidae responses to environmental variables were evaluated by means of biological measures and canonical correspondance analysis (CCA). The abundance (numbers) of chironomidae differed significantly (p<0.05) both in space and time. Low abundance and diversity of chironomids were reported (both species and numbers) in station 3 and 4 while the highest number of taxa and individuals were recorded in both station 1 and 2. Conclusively, chironomid communities in Eriora River were deeply affected by organic nutrient enrich- ment, canopy cover and dissolved organic matter.
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