Older information and links (broken and unarchived links removed)...

2020

  • Claus Orendt has announced the publication of a new work (preview) on larval Orthocladiinae senso lato: Claus Orendt, Thomas Bendt (2021): Orthocladiinae sensu lato. Orthocladiinae, Prodiamesinae, Diamesinae, Buchonomyiinae, Telmatogetoninae, Podonominae (Diptera: Chironomidae). Keys to Central European larvae with respect to macroscopic characters. - DGL Tools (DGL-Arbeitshilfen) No. 1/2021. - Edited by the German Limnological Society (DGL), Essen, 144 p. (added Dec 2020)
  • A new midge research project is beginning in Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA (added September 2020)
  • Masaru Yamamoto informs us that Dr. Tadashi Kobayashi passed away on 10 January 2020, aged 88. (added March 2020)

2019

  • Wenbin Liu writes to inform us that the 2nd Symposium on Chironomidae in China (link to download PDF) was held at Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China on October 20-22, 2017 (added January 2019).

2017-2018

  • Martin Spies notified me of the sad news that our esteemed colleague - Iya Kiknadze - passed away on 17-Dec-2017, aged 87. Her contributions to our community are most significant, and she will be sorely missed. I will post more information when it becomes available. (added December 2017)
  • The 20th International Symposium on Chironomidae was held in Trento, Italy at the MUSE (Museo delle Scienze/Science Museum), from 2-8 July 2017. Apparently it was a wonderful experience. Visit the scientific programme page to download both the scientific program and abstract book. The next symposium will be held in Japan, and, importantly, is tentatively scheduled for spring of 2021 (not 2020). And here are some photographs of past symposia. Have photographs from past events you'd like to share? Please send them to the webmaster. (added November 2016, updated July 2017)
  • Back by popular demand, Djuradj Milosevic announces the 2nd European Workshop on Chironomidae Identification Methodology (EWCIM), to be held at the Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic (23-Jan-2018 to 28-Jan-2018). The workshop itself will be held at University Campus Bohunice, Kamenice 5, Brno. Introductory lectures, demonstrations and practical work suitable for both novices and experts are led by an international team of researchers who will work closely with workshop participants. Participation fee of €400 covers the cost of the course, coffee breaks and lunches for all five days of the course, and a closing dinner. Dr. Milosevic, who organized the 1st workshop at the University of Niš, Niš, Serbia, has also created an on-line forum for past (and future) workshop participants. (added March 2017)
  • Request for taxonomic assistance: Jorge Santiago-Blay and colleagues have high resolution SEM and x-ray elemental analyses of chironomid pupal structures they wish to be identified. The imaging technology is novel, and will be described in forthcoming pubications. Any help would be appreciated. (added March 2017)
  • A new work on Chironomus karyotypes has been published by Kiknadze et al. The link takes you to ResearchGate, where you can download the entire work. (added February 2017)
  • Jon Martin has written that our colleague Wolfgang Wülker has passed away at the age of 91. More information will follow when it is available. (added January 2017)

2016

  • Niladri Hazra, Hiromi Niitsuma and Prasanta K Chaudhuri have published an updated checklist of the Chironomidae of the Oriental Region. More information and an ordering link can be viewed on the books page. (added December 2016)
  • New and fascinating paper published by Kaiser et al. 2016 on the genomic basis of circadian and circalunar timing adaptations in the marine midge Clunio marinus. (added November 2016)
  • Fascinating ovipositioning behavior of an unidentified chironomid from a lake in western Maine, USA. Any information about this behavior of this or similar taxa would be gratefully received by Dave Funk at the Stroud Water Research Center. (added Sep 2016)
  • And can't remember when and where the 1st, or 3rd, or 7th Symposium took place? Here's a list. (added August 2016)
  • The Gustav Stresemann Institut and the German Society of Limnology offers the Arbeitskreis Taxonomie's 52th course on identification - "Chironomidae – practically orientated introduction into identification“. It runs from 07-10 November 2016 in Bad Bevensen, Germany. The course is run by Sabine Schiffels, Lina Schäfer, Brigitta Eiseler and Kai Möller. Information on registration and more at the Gustav Stresemann Institute. (added July 2016)
  • Paper by Andersen et al. (2016), which can be freely downloaded from the PlosOne website, describes an amazing new cave-dwelling genus and species - Troglocladius - collected from the Trojama cave system in Croatia (added May 2016)
  • Obviously with a little spare time, imagination, and perhaps drink, Berthold Janecek and friends put together a musical tribute (and the text) of sorts to some chironomid researchers. And it didn't require a grant (added April 2016)
  • John Martin's Chironomus Group Research is back on line and finally has a new home (added February 2016)

2015

  • John Epler's well-known and used website has a new domain (added November 2015)
  • Loss of our colleagues: Martin Spies informs us that Nikolai Shobanov, who worked for over 30 years at the Institute for the Biology of Inland Waters of the Russian Academy of Science, passed away in early November. Tadashi Kobayashi writes that Hiroshi Hashimoto has also passed. Finally, Narcís Prat wrote to us about the passing of Maria Rieradevall last October. (added November 2015)

2014

  • Another chironomid genome has been sequenced - Chironomus tentans - by Kutsenko et al. (2014). (added November 2014)
  • Dr. I. I. Kidnazde has been added to the gallery of outstanding chironomid workers, in honor of her influencial research in systematics and molecular biology as well as - especially early in her career - enduring difficult conditions. (added September 2014)
  • The first entire genome of a chironomid (Belgica antarctica Jacobs, 1900) has been sequenced, with results published in Kelley et al. 2014. Gene jocks delight! (added August 2014)
  • Web site changes:
      1) "im memoriam" that appeared below has been moved to a separate page accessible via the "Worker Directory"menu item
      2) "Free and Useful Documents" item has been added to the Literature section
  • John Epler has written a new guide for the larval Tanytarsini (Chironominae) of Florida, which updates portions of his 2001 manual for Southeastern (USA) Chironomidae larvae. Better yet, it's free! An alternate download site is throught the Florida DEP. (added June 2014)

2013

  • Paddy Ashe announces that the second volumne of World Catalogue of Chironomidae has been published and is available for purchase. Details on obtaining this work is in the book section. (added November 2013)
  • Martin Spies announces that the webpages of the ZSM Diptera section have just been updated with a current list of our holdings of named species and type specimens in Chironomidae. (added September 2013)
  • It has arrived! Trond Andersen, Paddy Ashe, Pete Cranston, Torbjørn Ekrem, John Epler and the late Ole Sæther are the authors of the revised "The New Keys to the Holarctic Chironomidae Larvae." This is a completely revised guide to the identification, ecology and distribution of the larval Chironomidae of the Holarctic Region (North America and Europe through to Japan and the Far East); it replaces the classic 30 year old Holarctic Keys for midge larvae edited by T. Wiederholm. Previous diagnoses and figures for all taxa are revised and the keys are improved. Newly described and recently associated larvae in described genera are incorporated into the work. Relevant taxa and records from outside the region are also included to make the guide of wider geographic value. Price is US$ 112: send orders to SEB, P.O. Box 97, S-221 00, Lund, Sweden Swift Code: ESSESESS, Iban: SE 66 5000 0000 0567 5100 4737. Or, if you visit the Entomologica scandinavica Supplements Website, you can avoid banking charges. This will be an indespensible addition to your library that will not sit and collect dust. Errata can be followed at the Exchange Forum (above menu) (added August 2013)
  • As a reminder to the community, with regards to the above book announcement, Martin Spies and Ethan Bright created the Chironomidae Exchange Forum as a way to produce supplementary - and facilitate rapid updating - of information on widely used standard references on the Chironomidae. It's still up and running. (added August 2013)
  • Michael Bolton has recently updated the Ohio Chironomidae checklist and larval key, available at the Ohio EPA website. (added April 2013)
  • Len Ferrington announces a redesign of their group's website "Chironomidae Research Group" at the University of Minnesota. (added January 2013)

2012

  • Pete Cranston has relocated the site for all publications-to-date and onwards to a new web location. The interactive lucid key to genera (global) was migrated from CD to internet last year. Please check that your browser has the latest Java plugin before complaints about not loading. [Webmaster note as of February 2014: You should have only the lastest version of Java (from Oracle, not the java-script of your web browser) installed on your computer; older versions should be removed] (added October 2012; updated February 2014)
  • The committee of the 18th International Symposium of the Chironomidae (Elisabeth, Torbjørn and Kaare) are happy to announce that the Proceedings of the Chironomidae symposium held in Trondheim (2011) now is published and available open access through the Fauna norvegica website: http://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/fauna_norvegica. (added October 2012)
  • Claus Orendt announces some new keys on chironomid larvae mainly based on macroscopic characters and illustrated by photos elaborated by Martin Spies, Andreas Dettinger-Klemm (in part) and Claus Orendt. One key in its second edition separates central European Chironomini genera, some species or species groups, and is especially useful for beginners. A second key identifies 11 Chironomus species and species groups of significance for water quality evaluation. Another key includes about 90 taxa (genera, species groups, species) recorded from brackish waters in Germany and adjacent North Sea and Baltic Sea areas. Previews, informations and orders: www.hydro-bio.de/chironomidae.htm (added August 2012)
  • Torbjørn Ekrem announces that the Chironomidae Bibliography now is available online at http://literature.vm.ntnu.no/Chironomidae/. (added May 2012)
  • Lauri Paasivirta has updated a checklist (Excel spreadsheet) to the Chironomidae of Finland. (added May 2012)
  • Ethan Bright and Martin Spies announce the Chironomidae Exchange Forum, a new way to produce supplementary information, and facilitate rapid updating thereof, on widely used standard references on the Chironomidae (added January 2012; see menu above; updated February 2014).

2011

  • Pat Hudson shares some history: a field trip photo he took of Lars Brundin and Ole Saether at the Bergen symposium in 1985. If you have any photographs you wish to share, please send them to webmaster for inclusion to this site. (added December 2011)
  • Narcís Prat and Maria Rieradevall announce a new key (PDF in Spanish) for determining chironomid larvae of the Andes of Ecuador and Peru. (added December 2011; broken link, upload local; updated February 2014).
  • Eugenyi Markarchenko has provided an updated species list to the Chironomids of Far Eastern Russia. (added November 2011)
  • Midges are now on facebook, undoubtedly because they have so many "friends". Len Ferrington's Chironomid Research Group now has videos related to winter midges and their importance to trout. (added April 2011)

2010-2009 (missing, sorry)

2008

  • William Bouchard and Len Ferrington have published a (free!) PDF key to the pupal exuviae of the western lakes of Mongolia. (added August 2008; updated February 2014)
  • Rick Jacobsen has published a (free!) PDF key to the pupal exuviae of the Everglades, in Florida, USA. (added August 2008; PDF now at the CHP website, document public domain, large file 25 MB)
  • New chironomid species checklist for Mongolia has been compiled by Barbara Hayford. (added July 2008; original link broken, updated list under checklists - December 2016)
  • Some remarkable footage of midge emergence (posted on You Tube) photographed by Ralph Cutter, who made a DVD educating flyfishing enthusiasts about aqautic insects. (added April 2008; updated February 2014).
  • Torbjørn Ekrem has scanned all the back issues of Chironomus (thank you!), which can now be download in the Chironomus Newsletter section. (added February 2008).
  • Two publications from Apollo Books - Nilsson: Aquatic Insects of North Europe. CD-Rom edition.; and Wichard et al.: Biological Atlas of Aquatic Insects - should be of interest to the Chironomidae community. More information - and links to the publisher - in the book section. (added January 2008)

2007

  • Wolfgang Wülker's 2003 Thienemann lecture, The Role of Chromosomes in Chironomid Systematics, Ecology and Phylogeny, is available for viewing. (added December 2007, updated link December 2016)
  • Martin Spies' 2006 application (Case 3344) to the ICZN has become officially sanctioned and permanent: "The Commission has ruled that the generic names Pseudorthocladius Goetghebuer, 1943 and Mesosmittia Brundin, 1956 for two widespread genera of non-biting midges are conserved by the suppression of Pseudorthocladius Edwards, 1932. Pseudorthocladius Edwards, 1932 is a senior homonym of Pseudorthocladius Goetghebuer, 1943, but has not been used for the last 50 years, being replaced with Mesosmittia Brundin, 1956." (added October 2007)
  • P.H. Langton and L.C.V. Pinder have published through the Freshwater Biological Association Keys to the Adult Male Chironomidae of Britain and Ireland, in 2 volumes (ISBN 978-0-900386-75-6; ISSN 0367-1887) (added August 2007, link updated December 2016).
  • Henk Vallenduuk and Henk Moller Pillot have published a new book on the Chironomidae Larvae of the Netherlands, focusing on chironomid ecology and the Tanypodinae (added July 2007, link updated December 2016).
  • You may download Pete Cranston's summary (650KB PDF) of the 16th International Chironomid Symposium from the Antenna newsletter . More photos of the symposium (and vacation) can be found at the official website: http://www.uma.pt/chiro.symposium/ (added June 2007).

2006

  • Jon Martin has updated his Chironomus databases, including names used in the genus Chironomus, cytology and larval morphology for North American, Australian, New Zealand and Oriental species, and other resources (original location at link location http://genetics.unimelb.edu.au/Martin/JMRes.html, added June 2006; updated with new link location, December 2016)

2005

  • An updated list of Dr. Ole Sæther publications (including a few that can be downloaded from the web) is now available (added January 2005; updated February 2014).
  • Fourth edition of the ICZN (1999) is freely accessible online at http://iczn.org/iczn/index.jsp (added January 2005; updated February 2014).

2004

Last updated: Sunday, 14-Jan-2024 (EB)