Hi All,
I'm working on sensory systems in mosquito swarms and I'd like to rear a Chironomid species as a model to avoid any blood-feeding; this chironomid species would require to:
- make dense station-keeping mating swarms that could be elicited under laboratory conditions
- be a native species of ~Paris region where I plan to work (just to avoid any containment regulations);
- be easy reared, and possibly without over-wintering if kept at ~20°C;
Would you have any species in mind that fit with these requirements? The bigger the body size is, the better it would be for me.
Thank you very much,
All the best,
Lionel
Hi Lionel,
There were a number of labs that reared species of Chironomus in large numbers. You may wish to contact them. I kept a listing in the Chironomid Home Page (http://www.chironomidae.net/livecultures.html), but since I've not heard from some of these colleagues in a long time, I do not know if it's still current.
Cheers, Ethan