chironomidae
taxonomic
analyses
chironomid samples
Since 30 years, the taxonomic processing of chironomid samples has been a key area of activity for the company. The focus is laid on samples from running waters, but the taxonomic knowledge additionally includes species occurring in lakes, ponds or temporary waters.
larval taxonomy
Since chironomids are usually present as larvae in the samples, the specialization was primarily focussed on this developmental stage. The company has knowledge of the morphology of most identifiable Central European species, from the lowlands to the high alpine region.
pupal taxonomy
Structures of pupal exuviae (spines, bristles, etc.) are important features for the identification of chironomid species. As many larvae cannot be identified down to species level, the presence of pupae in the samples is an essential criterion for a sufficient taxonomic analysis.
specialization
In inland waters, chironomids usually represent the family with the highest number of individuals and species within benthic macroin-vertebrates. Due to their dominance in the studied habitat, a speciali-zation on this group was inevitable already during the dissertation, which was also maintained in the course of the entrepreneurial activity. Knowledge about the identification of species has been and is being successively expanded, with the focus on larval taxonomy.
In addition, pupal stages, but also, if necessary, imaginal stages (especially male imagines) may be analized up to species level.
reference collection
Over the years, larval stages of numerous species have been collected and the collection has been successively supplemented and old material replaced by newer material. Around 600 species from Central Europe are currently in the collection; in addition, numerous preparations of larvae and imaginal stages have been made in order to expand the collection. The photo documentation is currently limited to only a few pictures. The development of an electronic identification key
including a virtual reference collection, as it has already been realized for species of other dipteran families (such as Culicidae and Simuliidae), would require too much time and effort for chironomids and was therefore not pursued further.
order & prices
When placing an order for the taxonomic processing of chironomid samples, the samples should be sent as a registered mail or parcel. Unless otherwise agreed, we charge a flat rate per sample, whereby the price for one sample is currently € 100 (excluding the value added tax). The results are sent by e-mail in the form of an Excel spreadsheet. Additional orders (e.g. embedded microscopic preparations, pure species sorting, etc.) will be charged according to the time effort and the required material.