A small scale rearing chamber that provides a continuous source of different life stages of Glyptotendipes barbipes Staeger for bioassay studies was developed. A modified glass aquarium containing a substrate of shredded paper hand towels and artificial medium was employed. The amount of protein fed to the larvae can be used to trigger peak emergence, oviposition, and the rate of maturation. Fifty-three egg masses were sampled and 68% were fertile. Ninety-five percent of these hatched and 85% emerged as adults

Meier, Peter G

Torres, Henry C

English

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 11 
Number 2 - Summer 1978 Number 2 - Summer 
1978 
Article 3 
June 1978 
A Modified Method for Reading Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) 
Peter G. Meier 
University of Michigan 
Henry C. Torres 
University of Michigan 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle 
 Part of the Entomology Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Meier, Peter G. and Torres, Henry C. 1978. "A Modified Method for Reading Midges (Diptera: 
Chironomidae)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 11 (2) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol11/iss2/3 
This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. 
For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 
THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 
A MODIFIED METHOD FOR REARING MIDGES 
(DIPTERA: CHIRONOMIDAE) 
Peter G. Meier and Henry C. ~ o r r e s l  
ABSTRACT 
A small scale rearing chamber that provides a continuous source of different life stages 
of Glyptotendipes barbipes Staeger for bioassay studies was developed. A modified glass 
aquarium containing a substrate of shredded paper hand towels and artificial medium was 
employed. The amount of protein fed to the larvae can be used to trigger peak 
emergence, oviposition, and the rate of maturation. Fifty-three egg masses were sampled 
and 68% were fertile. Ninety-five percent of these hatched and 85% emerged as adults. 
Several methods have been described in the literature for rearing chironomids 
(Diptera) under laboratory conditions. Biever (1965) cultured Chironomus sp. #51, C. 
fulvipilus Rempel, C. monochromus van der Wulp, Pentaneura pilosella Loeu, Tanypus 
grodhausi Sublette, and Micropsectra nifipilus Johannson. Hilsenhoff and Narf (1967) 
grew Chironomus plumosus while Derr and Zabik (1972) presented a method for 
culturing Chironomus tentans Fabricius. 
Some problems were encountered in the application of the above listed methodologies 
in rearing larvae of Glyptotendipes barbipes Staeger. Hilsenhoff and Narf's method 
required too much laboratory space, while Biever's, and Derr and Zabik's techniques 
produced a low percentage of fertilized egg masses. A combination of all three methods 
with some modifications enables us to culture Chironomus tentans, Psectrotanypus sp. 
and G. bmbipes 
It is the purpose of this paper to describe the procedure employed in isolating and 
culturing the sewage midge G. barbipes in a clean environment for biossay and 
bioaccumulation studies. 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
A stock culture of midges was maintained in a 38 liter aquarium which was covered 
by a roof-like cover made of 0.6 cm plywood to allow mating space for the emerged 
imagos (Fig. 1). The aquarium contained 12 liters of medium and was aerated continu- 
ously with two airstones. Two 1.3 m lamps, one Gro-Lux and one fluorescent, were 
placed above this rearing house to provide a 16 hour fight and an 8 hour dark period. 
Congregation of the imagos and enhancement of copulation was induced by placing a 
night light outside near the top of the rearing chamber, which emitted a faint light during 
the dark period. This procedure resulted in a higher percentage of fertile eggs which were 
deposited into a white enamel pan containing Peter's osmotic solution (1921). From this 
pan, egg masses were easily collected and adults removed with a wide bore pipette. 
Ambient room temperature was maintained at  21"-22OC which simulated summer 
conditions. 
The substrate was prepared by blending 50 gm of shredded paper hand towels 
(Nibroc, Brown Co., #23) and 2gm food supplement (Sliver's Dog Treats, Gro-Kote, 
Inc.) in 2 liters of distilled water for 5 minutes. This mixture was added to an aquarium 
containing approximately 10 liters of Peter's medium. Late instar midge larvae were then 
transferred to this suspension for culture. 
l ~ e ~ a r t m e n t  of Environmental and Industrial Health, School of Public Health, The 
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. 
1
Meier and Torres: A Modified Method for Reading Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae)
Published by ValpoScholar, 1978
THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 
/Night light 
Vol. 11, No. 2 
/ I I I 
Enamel Don 
Fig. 1. Rearing chamber for chuonomid culture. 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
Larvae of Glyprorendipes barbipes were collected with an aquatic hand net from the 
local sewage lagoon and the late instars were transferred in the laboratory to the 
culturing aquarium. After approximately a month, all life stages were present in the 
rearing chamber. It is from this midge population that the following descriptive 
observations were made. 
Adults lived from 3 to 5 days, with males emerging several days prior to  the females. 
Mating occurred immediately, but not in flight. Seventy-three percent of the females laid 
eggs and 68% of these egg masses were fertile. The females usually died shortly after 
oviposition. Fifty-three egg masses, ranging in size from 7 to 22 mm in length to 1.5 to 
4.4 mm in width, were examined. The average egg mass was 15 mm long by 3 mm wide 
and contained 503 eggs (S.D. ? 126). This differs from the data given by Sublette and 
Sublette (1973) in which eggs per mass varied from 1500 to 2000. 
Hatching occurred within 3 to 6 days at a mean water temperature of 22°C. Every 
fifth fertile egg mass was sampled for hatchability. Out of seven samples examined, a 
total of 3610 eggs were laid and 3432 larvae emerged resulting in over 95% hatchability 
success. The early instars remained in the gelatinous matter of the egg mass for 2 to 3 
days, after which they became free swimming. Immediately thereafter tube building 
started, first on the walls of the aquarium and then in the substrate. Molting to second 
instar occurred shortly after initial tube building. 
2
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 11, No. 2 [1978], Art. 3
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol11/iss2/3
1978 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 91 
An 85% survival rate from hatching to  adult was recorded from seven randomly 
collected egg masses. Of the 3432 fertile eggs, 2917 adults emerged with 481 larvae and 
34 pupae dying during the maturation process. The most critical period appeared to be 
the free swimming stage (Instar I) during which the greatest mortality occurred. The 
pupal stage lasted from 2 to 5 days with death at this stage very low (<I%). 
A temperature change of 5 3°C from 22'C had little effect on development time. At 
19" and 25"C, maturation from immature to adult was 35 and 34 days respectively, 
whereas 35 days was required for those exposed to 22OC. 
The amount of protein fed to the larvae had a considerable effect on maturation. 
Peak emergence and oviposition was triggered by increasing the food level 9 to 13 days 
prior to the desired emergence. On the other hand, by reducing the food supply and by 
lengthening the time interval between feedings, the developmental cycle of this midge was 
retarded as much as 20 days. In experiments where larvae were fed 0.5 grn of Sliver's 
every 10 days, maturation from the first instar to adult took 55 days. Approximately 
2 grn of Sliver's Dog Treats provided sufficient food for 2500 to 3000 larvae for 4 days. 
With the larvae and pupae occupying the lower chamber and adults mating in the upper 
one, a continuous cycle was maintained. 
CONCLUSION 
This rearing technique enables one to maintain in a ma l l  area a culture of midges 
which over several generations can cleanse themselves of environmental pollutants. The 
midge concentration can be manipulated by controlling the food supply in the substrate. 
This system allows the researcher to select the life stages desired for experimentation. 
Additionally, owing to the success in survival, it provides a method for carrying out 
long-term chronic bioassays that could cause genetic alterations of successive populations. 
LITERATURE CITED 
Biever, K. D. 1965. A rearing technique for the colonization of chironomid midges. An. 
Entomol. Soc. Amer. 58:135-136. 
Derr, S. K. and M. J. Zabik. 1972. Biologically active compounds in the aquatic 
environment: The uptake and distribution of [l,l-dichloro-2,2-bis (P-chlorophenyl) 
ethylene], DDE by Chironomus tentans, Fabricius (Diptera: Chironomidae). Trans. 
Amer. Fish. Soc. 101:323-329. 
Hilsenhoff, W. L. and R. P. Narf. 1967. Colonization of Chironomus plumosus (Diptera: 
Chironomidae). Mosq. News 27:363-366. 
Peters, R. A. 1921. The substance needed for the growth of a pure culture of Colpidium 
colpoda. J. Physiol. 55: 1-32. 
Sublette, J.  E. and M. F. Sublette. 1973. The morphology of Glyprotendipes barbipes 
Staeger (Diptera: Chironomidae). Stud. Nat. Sci. 1(6&7). 
3
Meier and Torres: A Modified Method for Reading Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae)
Published by ValpoScholar, 1978


A Modified Method for Reading Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Valparaiso University

The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 11 Number 2 - Summer 1978 Number 2 - Summer 1978 Article 3 June 1978 A Modified Method for Reading Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) Peter G. Meier University of Michigan Henry C. Torres University of Michigan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle  Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Meier, Peter G. and Torres, Henry C. 1978. "A Modified Method for Reading Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 11 (2) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol11/iss2/3 This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST A MODIFIED METHOD FOR REARING MIDGES (DIPTERA: CHIRONOMIDAE) Peter G. Meier and Henry C. ~ o r r e s l  ABSTRACT A small scale rearing chamber that provides a continuous source of different life stages of Glyptotendipes barbipes Staeger for bioassay studies was developed. A modified glass aquarium containing a substrate of shredded paper hand towels and artificial medium was employed. The amount of protein fed to the larvae can be used to trigger peak emergence, oviposition, and the rate of maturation. Fifty-three egg masses were sampled and 68% were fertile. Ninety-five percent of these hatched and 85% emerged as adults. Several methods have been described in the literature for rearing chironomids (Diptera) under laboratory conditions. Biever (1965) cultured Chironomus sp. #51, C. fulvipilus Rempel, C. monochromus van der Wulp, Pentaneura pilosella Loeu, Tanypus grodhausi Sublette, and Micropsectra nifipilus Johannson. Hilsenhoff and Narf (1967) grew Chironomus plumosus while Derr and Zabik (1972) presented a method for culturing Chironomus tentans Fabricius. Some problems were encountered in the application of the above listed methodologies in rearing larvae of Glyptotendipes barbipes Staeger. Hilsenhoff and Narf's method required too much laboratory space, while Biever's, and Derr and Zabik's techniques produced a low percentage of fertilized egg masses. A combination of all three methods with some modifications enables us to culture Chironomus tentans, Psectrotanypus sp. and G. bmbipes It is the purpose of this paper to describe the procedure employed in isolating and culturing the sewage midge G. barbipes in a clean environment for biossay and bioaccumulation studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS A stock culture of midges was maintained in a 38 liter aquarium which was covered by a roof-like cover made of 0.6 cm plywood to allow mating space for the emerged imagos (Fig. 1). The aquarium contained 12 liters of medium and was aerated continu- ously with two airstones. Two 1.3 m lamps, one Gro-Lux and one fluorescent, were placed above this rearing house to provide a 16 hour fight and an 8 hour dark period. Congregation of the imagos and enhancement of copulation was induced by placing a night light outside near the top of the rearing chamber, which emitted a faint light during the dark period. This procedure resulted in a higher percentage of fertile eggs which were deposited into a white enamel pan containing Peter's osmotic solution (1921). From this pan, egg masses were easily collected and adults removed with a wide bore pipette. Ambient room temperature was maintained at  21"-22OC which simulated summer conditions. The substrate was prepared by blending 50 gm of shredded paper hand towels (Nibroc, Brown Co., #23) and 2gm food supplement (Sliver's Dog Treats, Gro-Kote, Inc.) in 2 liters of distilled water for 5 minutes. This mixture was added to an aquarium containing approximately 10 liters of Peter's medium. Late instar midge larvae were then transferred to this suspension for culture. l ~ e ~ a r t m e n t  of Environmental and Industrial Health, School of Public Health, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. 1Meier and Torres: A Modified Method for Reading Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae)Published by ValpoScholar, 1978THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST /Night light Vol. 11, No. 2 / I I I Enamel Don Fig. 1. Rearing chamber for chuonomid culture. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Larvae of Glyprorendipes barbipes were collected with an aquatic hand net from the local sewage lagoon and the late instars were transferred in the laboratory to the culturing aquarium. After approximately a month, all life stages were present in the rearing chamber. It is from this midge population that the following descriptive observations were made. Adults lived from 3 to 5 days, with males emerging several days prior to  the females. Mating occurred immediately, but not in flight. Seventy-three percent of the females laid eggs and 68% of these egg masses were fertile. The females usually died shortly after oviposition. Fifty-three egg masses, ranging in size from 7 to 22 mm in length to 1.5 to 4.4 mm in width, were examined. The average egg mass was 15 mm long by 3 mm wide and contained 503 eggs (S.D. ? 126). This differs from the data given by Sublette and Sublette (1973) in which eggs per mass varied from 1500 to 2000. Hatching occurred within 3 to 6 days at a mean water temperature of 22°C. Every fifth fertile egg mass was sampled for hatchability. Out of seven samples examined, a total of 3610 eggs were laid and 3432 larvae emerged resulting in over 95% hatchability success. The early instars remained in the gelatinous matter of the egg mass for 2 to 3 days, after which they became free swimming. Immediately thereafter tube building started, first on the walls of the aquarium and then in the substrate. Molting to second instar occurred shortly after initial tube building. 2The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 11, No. 2 [1978], Art. 3https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol11/iss2/31978 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 91 An 85% survival rate from hatching to  adult was recorded from seven randomly collected egg masses. Of the 3432 fertile eggs, 2917 adults emerged with 481 larvae and 34 pupae dying during the maturation process. The most critical period appeared to be the free swimming stage (Instar I) during which the greatest mortality occurred. The pupal stage lasted from 2 to 5 days with death at this stage very low (<I%). A temperature change of 5 3°C from 22'C had little effect on development time. At 19" and 25"C, maturation from immature to adult was 35 and 34 days respectively, whereas 35 days was required for those exposed to 22OC. The amount of protein fed to the larvae had a considerable effect on maturation. Peak emergence and oviposition was triggered by increasing the food level 9 to 13 days prior to the desired emergence. On the other hand, by reducing the food supply and by lengthening the time interval between feedings, the developmental cycle of this midge was retarded as much as 20 days. In experiments where larvae were fed 0.5 grn of Sliver's every 10 days, maturation from the first instar to adult took 55 days. Approximately 2 grn of Sliver's Dog Treats provided sufficient food for 2500 to 3000 larvae for 4 days. With the larvae and pupae occupying the lower chamber and adults mating in the upper one, a continuous cycle was maintained. CONCLUSION This rearing technique enables one to maintain in a ma l l  area a culture of midges which over several generations can cleanse themselves of environmental pollutants. The midge concentration can be manipulated by controlling the food supply in the substrate. This system allows the researcher to select the life stages desired for experimentation. Additionally, owing to the success in survival, it provides a method for carrying out long-term chronic bioassays that could cause genetic alterations of successive populations. LITERATURE CITED Biever, K. D. 1965. A rearing technique for the colonization of chironomid midges. An. Entomol. Soc. Amer. 58:135-136. Derr, S. K. and M. J. Zabik. 1972. Biologically active compounds in the aquatic environment: The uptake and distribution of [l,l-dichloro-2,2-bis (P-chlorophenyl) ethylene], DDE by Chironomus tentans, Fabricius (Diptera: Chironomidae). Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 101:323-329. Hilsenhoff, W. L. and R. P. Narf. 1967. Colonization of Chironomus plumosus (Diptera: Chironomidae). Mosq. News 27:363-366. Peters, R. A. 1921. The substance needed for the growth of a pure culture of Colpidium colpoda. J. Physiol. 55: 1-32. Sublette, J.  E. and M. F. Sublette. 1973. The morphology of Glyprotendipes barbipes Staeger (Diptera: Chironomidae). Stud. Nat. Sci. 1(6&7). 3Meier and Torres: A Modified Method for Reading Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae)Published by ValpoScholar, 1978

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A Modified Method for Reading Midges (Diptera: Chironomidae)

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