External Structures of the Antennae and Mouth Parts of the Fourth Instar of Chironomus flaviplumus and Chironomus salinarius (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Chironomidae is usually the most abundant macroinvetebrate in freshwater. They form an important part of the foodweb, and also have long been known as indicators of water quality. However, there is a great deal of difficulty in its identification. Such is due to the complexity of larval taxonomy. The external fine structures of the mouth parts and antennae of 4th instar larva C. flaviplumus and C. salinarius were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antennae of the fourth instar larvae of C. flaviplumus and C. salinarius are short and composed of five segments. They consist of a scape, pedical, and three flagellar subsegments. The maxilla palps have 10 sensilla basiconica on its distal surface. They show the three morphological groups in the following numbers: six apical sensillae, three medial sensillae, and one lateral sensillae. The mandibles have strong apical and lateral teeth. These sensory structures are situated on the head capsule, each of which are represented with images to elucidate the identification of chironomidae.