The Photographic Checklist of the Freshwater Chironomids of the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

A photographic checklist of the Chirominids under the subfamily Chironominanea from the Niger Delta of Nigeria was compiled using records of specimens collected over a period of thirty years from many field trips. The photographic keys were described to show the cephalothorax with mentum, mandibles, premandibles and ventromental plates. A total of twelve illustrations, consisting of nine genera and twelve species, were documented. These were Chironomus imicola , Chironomus transvaalensis , Endochironomus sp. , Parachironomus biannulatus, Parachironominae sp. , Limnochironomus sp. , Pseudochironomus prasinatus, Tanytarsus curticornis and Tanytarsus thienemanni, Paratanytarsus sp. , Microtendipes sp ., Pentapedilum sp. Six of these species namely Microtendipes sp. , Parachironomus biannulatus , Pentapedilum sp. , Pseudochironomus prasinatus , Tanytarsus curticornis and Tanytarsus thienemanni occur in both lotic and lentic waters. Those that occurred only in lentic waters were Chironomus imicola , and Parachironominae sp. , while Endochironomus sp., Limnochironomus sp. and Paratanytarsus sp. occurred only in lotic water.