Leonard C. Ferrington, Jr., Ph.D.
Len Ferrington founded the Chironomidae Research Group in 2004 to formally recognize, organize, and disseminate his research and that of his students and collaborators. Sadly, Len Ferrington passed away unexpectedly, on September 11, 2021. Although Len was the foundation and driving impetus behind the Chironomidae Research Group and its work, his students and collaborators continue to support his legacy through the Chironomidae Research Group and by continuing with research that is inspired by Len. Len Ferrington A memorial article on Len’s life and legacy can be found at Leonard C. Ferrington, Jr. (1948-2021): Chironomid cognoscente and modern-day Renaissance man.
A brief biography of Len Ferrington’s research and legacy
Len made many contributions to science, particularly to the taxonomy and ecology of Chironomidae. During his 41-year academic career as a Professor and Scientist, Len was a prolific researcher that collaborated with colleagues in 52 countries on six continents. Len's research program consisted of several areas of emphasis including taxonomy and systematics, biodiversity, responses of aquatic insects to pollution, their roles in stream ecology, and aquatic resource sustainability, with most of his research questions centered around stories told by the Chironomidae. Although Len clearly displayed a strong focus on chironomid taxonomy and ecology, his research interests were diverse, and he brought his expertise and enthusiasm to other realms of freshwater biology as well, including biological monitoring, aquatic insect gut fungi, fish diets, Mecoptera diversity, and winter hardiness.
Len’s research focused on the significance of Chironomidae in aquatic ecosystems. In his lab he balanced taxonomic, systematics, and ecological research on Chironomidae to better understand the ecological framework within which evolutionary processes have operated to produce the biological diversity of the family. His research program consisted of five basic areas of emphasis: taxonomy and systematics, biodiversity studies, responses to various types of pollution, stream ecology, and studies of the diversity and co-evolution of Trichomycetes and their Chironomidae hosts. His research projects were conducted in a wide range of habitats, from highly degraded to some of the most pristine and beautiful areas across the globe. Areas in the US where Len and his students and collaborators have worked include Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Maine, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Puerto Rico. Other projects took Len to Norway, Argentina, Tasmania, New Zealand, South Africa, and Mongolia. Graduate students often participated in these projects and benefitted from the travels. Len was also very fortunate to collaborate with numerous colleagues across the US and in many other countries. He was always grateful for their spirit of cooperation that always made the research enjoyable and scientifically productive. The list of his publications below demonstrates Len’s dedication to research on a range of intertwined and diverse topics.
An important part of Len’s significant legacy was as an active and well-liked professor and mentor to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate level students at the University of Kansas and the University of Minnesota. The courses he taught included:
- Aquatic Insects/Entomology (University of Minnesota - Ent 5361/University of Kansas – Biol. 525)
- Insects, Aquatic Habitats & Pollution (University of Minnesota - Ent 3925 and Ent 5081/University of Kansas – Biol. 701)
- Ecology of Aquatic Insects (University of Kansas – Biol. 701)
- Numerous Freshman Seminars, Graduate Seminars, an introductory Honors course in Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management (ESPM 1012H), and others
In addition to teaching students in a classroom, Dr. Ferrington acted as a major advisor for at least 27 graduate students (8 Ph.D. and 19 M.S.) and served as a committee member for numerous others. His students now hold titles, such as aquatic ecologists, research scientists, aquatic invertebrate taxonomists, professors of biology, environmental educators, among many others. This includes training teachers and professors at different educational levels and biologists specializing in public outreach who are educating the public and training students to be the next aquatic biologists. Len also trained many researchers who are responsible for the protection, conservation, and stewardship of natural resources. It is imperative for the conservation of aquatic resources that there is an experienced and capable community of aquatic science educators and researchers, and it is difficult to overestimate Len’s important contribution to the field.
Len’s Publications
Anderson, A.M., R.W. Bouchard Jr., and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 2011. Hibernal emergence of Chironomidae in relation to stream size in Kansas, USA. In Wang, X and Liu, W. (Eds.). Contemporary Chironomid Studies - Proceedings of the 17th International Symposium on Chironomidae, Nankai University Press, Tianjin, China, pp. 247-255.
Berg, M.B., L.C. Ferrington Jr. and B.L. Hayford (Eds.) 1995. A Festchrift honoring Mary and Jim Sublette. Part 1: Taxonomy and systematics of Chironomidae. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 71: 195-382.
Berg, M.B., L.C. Ferrington Jr. and B.L. Hayford. (Eds.) 1995. A Festchrift honoring Mary and Jim Sublette. Part 2: Biology, ecology and natural history of Chironomidae. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 71: 383-504.
Blackwood, M.A., S.M. Hall and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 1995. Emergence of Chironomidae from springs in the Central High-Plains Region of the United-States. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 68: 132-151.
Bouchard Jr., R.W. and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 2008. Determination of Chironomidae thermal preferences and thermal partitioning among closely related taxa in a Minnesota stream using surface floating pupal exuviae. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal (História Natural) Supplement 13: 191-198.
Coffman, W.P. and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 1996. Chironomidae. In Merritt, R.W. and Cummins, K.W. (Ed.) An Introduction to the aquatic insects of North America, 3rd ed. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa, pp. 635-748.
Coffman, W.P., L.C. Ferrington Jr., and M.B. Berg. 2008. Chironomidae. In: R.W. Merritt and K.W. Cummins (Eds.). An Introduction to the aquatic insects of North America, 4th ed. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa, pp. 847-989,
Donley, S.R., L.C. Ferrington Jr. and D.G. Huggins. 1999. Development of biological criteria for macroinvertebrates for streams of the Western Cornbelt Plains Ecoregion. Technical Report Number 90 of the Kansas Biological Survey. pp. 50 + appendix.
Donley, S., L.C. Ferrington Jr. and D. Strayer. 1998. The habitat of Paraboreochlus larvae (Diptera: Chironomidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 71: 501-504.
Egan, A.T., T. Lafrançois, M.B. Edlund, L.C. Ferrington Jr., and J. Glase. 2014. Biological studies and mapping of shoreline rock pools in three Lake Superior national parks. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/MWRO/NRTR—2014/907. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Epler, J.H. and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 1994. The Immature Stages of Paratendipes basidens Townes (Diptera: Chironomidae: Chironominae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 67: 311-317.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1980. Drift dynamics of Chironomidae larvae occurring in streams draining three diverse biotopes (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1981. Kansas Chironomidae, Part I. In Brooks, R. (ed.) New records of the fauna and flora of Kansas for 1980. Biological Survey of Kansas, Technical Publication Number 10: pp.45-51.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1981. Diptera (true flies). In Huggins, D. G., Liechti, P. M., and Ferrington Jr., L.C. (Eds.) Guide to the freshwater invertebrates of the Midwest. Biological Survey of Kansas, Technical Publication Number 11. pp. 82-105.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1981. Detection and Documentation of Impacts. In Huggins, D.G., Liechti, P.M., and Ferrington Jr., L.C. (Eds.) Guide to the freshwater invertebrates of the Midwest. Biological Survey of Kansas, Technical Publication Number 11. pp. 202-213.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1982. Kansas Chironomidae, Part II: The Tanypodinae, In Brooks, R. (Ed.) New records of the fauna and flora of Kansas for 1981. Biological Survey of Kansas, Technical Publication Number 12: 49-60.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1983. Interdigitating broadscale distributional patterns of some Kansas Chironomidae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Society 34: 101‑113.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1983. Kansas Chironomidae, Part III: The Harnischia complex, In Brooks, R. (Ed.) New records of the fauna and flora of Kansas for 1982. Biological Survey of Kansas, Technical Publication Number 13: 48-62.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1987. Microhabitat preferences of larvae of three Orthocladiinae species (Diptera: Chironomidae) in Big Springs, a sand-bottom spring in the High Plains of western Kansas. Entomologica Scandinavica supplement 29: 361-368.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1987. Freshwater sponges of Kansas and their associated entomofauna. Technical Report of the Kansas Biological Survey, 36 pp.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1987. Collection and Identification of Floating Pupal Exuviae of Chironomidae for Use in Studies of Surface Water Quality. Standard Operating Procedure prepared for U. S. EPA, Region VII, Kansas City, KS and published as SOP No. FW130A. pp. 39 + appendix.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1989. Assessment of the effects of B.t.i. applications for the control of midgefly larvae, Chironomus riparius, in Little Mill Creek, Johnson Co., KS. Kansas Biological Survey Report 41. pp. 16 + appendix.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1993. Endangered rivers: a case history of the Arkansas River in the Central Plains. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 3: 305-316.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1993. Water chemistry, sediment chemistry, fish and macroinvertebrate communities of the Galena Superfund subsite of the Tri-State Mining District. Technical Report of the Kansas Biological Survey Number 56. pp. 85 + appendices.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1995. Biodiversity of aquatic insects and other invertebrates in springs: introduction. - Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 68: 1-3.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1998. Generic composition of the chironomid fauna in springs of North America. - In L. Botosononeau (Ed.) Studies in crenobiology: the biology of springs and springbrooks. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. 141-155.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1998. Mary and Jim Sublette: Fifty years of collaborative studies with Chironomidae. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 71: 195-198.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 1998. Monitoring and assessment of invertebrates in selected streams with elevated concentrations of heavy metals in U.S. EPA Region VII. Report I: Cannon Creek, Holt County, Missouri. Technical Publication Number 89 of the Kansas Biological Survey. pp. 37 + appendices.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 2000. Hibernal emergence patterns of Chironomidae in lotic habitats of Kansas versus ambient air and water temperatures. In Hoffrichter, O. (Ed.) Late 20th Century Research on Chironomidae. Shaker Verlag, pp. 375-382.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 2001. Summary of water chemistry and macroinvertebrate communities for selected sites at the Galena sub-site of the Cherokee County Superfund Site, Cherokee County, Kansas, within the Tri-State Mining District, Year Three of Phase III. Technical Report Number 102 of the Kansas Biological Survey. pp. 32 + appendices.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. 2007. Hibernal emergence patterns of Chironomidae in lotic habitats of Kansas versus substrate composition. In Andersen, T. (Ed.) Contributions to the systematics and ecology of aquatic Diptera - A tribute to Ole A. Sæther. pp 99-105
Ferrington Jr., L.C. (Editor) 2010. Proceedings of the XV International Symposium on Chironomidae. Chironomid Research Group, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota. pp. 385 + viii.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. and Berg, M.B. 2019. Chironomidae. In Merritt, R.W., Cummins, K.W. and Berg, M.B. (Eds.) An introduction to the aquatic insects of North America, 5th ed. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa, pp. 1119-1074.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., M.B. Berg, and W.P. Coffman. 2008. Chironomidae. In Merritt, R.W., Cummins, K.W. and Berg, M.B. (Eds.) An introduction to the aquatic insects of North America. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa, pp. 847-989.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., M.A. Blackwood, C.A. Wright, N.H. Crisp, J.L. Kavanaugh, and F.J. Schmidt. 1991. A protocol for using surface-floating pupal exuviae of Chironomidae for rapid bioassessment of changing water-quality. Sediment and Stream Water Quality in a Changing Environment: Trends and Explanation 203: 181-190.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., W.H. Buzby, and M.A. Blackwood. 1991. Status report on Optioservus phaeus White (Scott Riffle Beetle). Technical Report of the Kansas Biological Survey Number 49. pp. 21.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., K.M. Buzby, and E.C. Masteller. 1993. Composition and temporal abundance of Chironomidae emergence from a tropical rainforest stream at El Verde, Puerto Rico. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 66: 167-180.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. and N. Crisp. 1989. Water chemistry characteristics of receiving streams and the occurrence of Chironomus riparius and other Chironomidae in Kansas. Acta Biologica Debrecina Oecologica Hungarica 3: 115-126.
Ferrington Jr. L.C., O.K. Galle, M.A. Blackwood, C.A. Wright, F.J. Schmidt and J.M. Jobe. 1989. Occurrence and biological effects of cadmium, lead, manganese and zinc in the Short Creek/Empire Lake aquatic system in Cherokee County, Kansas. Kansas Water Resources Institute No. 277, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA. pp. 106 + appendix.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., B. Hayford, R. Chou, S. Reynolds, C. Wright and D. Goldhammer. 1997. Final report: Summary of water chemistry, sediment chemistry, fish populations and macroinvertebrate communities for selected sites at the Galena sub-site of the Cherokee County Superfund Site, Cherokee County, Kansas, within the Tri-State Mining District, Phase II. Technical Report Number 83 of the Kansas Biological Survey. pp. 88 + appendices.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., B.N. Karns, and R.W. Bouchard Jr. 2010. Longevities of Diamesa mendotae Muttkowski, a hibernal emerging species of Chironomidae. Proceedings of the XV International Symposium on Chironomidae, pp. 22-29.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., R.W. Lichtwardt, and B. Hayford. 2000. Smittium gravimetallum (Trichomycetes: Harpellales), a new species of gut fungus from Dicrotendipes fumidus (Johannsen) (Diptera: Chironomidae) in a metal-polluted stream. In: Hoffrichter, O. (Ed.), Late 20th. Century Research on Chironomidae: An Anthology from the 13th International Symposium on Chironomidae. Shaker Verlag, Aachen, pp. 253–257.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., E.C. Masteller, and J.A. Santiago-Blay. 2008. Comparison and significance of Chironomidae emergence from Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay, Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal (História Natural) Supplement 13: 21-28.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. and L. Ruse. 1986. Collection of Antillocladius pluspilalus and A. arcuatus (Diptera: Chironomidae) in eastern Kansas. Entomological News 97: 66-68.
Ferrington Jr., L.C. and O.A. Sæther. 1995. Afrotropical species of Parakiefferiella Thienemann, with a review of species with palpal projections (Diptera: Chironomidae). In Cranston, P.S. (Ed.) Chironomids: From genes to ecosystems. CSIRO Publications, East Melbourne, pp. 369-377.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., S.T. Stringer, and S.M. Stringer. 1999. Summary of water chemistry and macroinvertebrate communities for selected sites at the Galena sub-site of the Cherokee County Superfund Site, Cherokee County, Kansas, within the Tri-State Mining District, Year one of Phase III. Technical Report Number 94 of the Kansas Biological Survey. pp. 18 + appendices.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., S.T. Stringer, and S.M. Stringer. 2000. Summary of water chemistry and macroinvertebrate communities for selected sites at the Galena sub-site of the Cherokee County Superfund Site, Cherokee County, Kansas, within the Tri-State Mining District, Year two of Phase III. Technical Report Number 97 of the Kansas Biological Survey. pp. 25 + appendices.
Ferrington Jr., L.C., C.A. Wright, T.M. Anderson, and D.S. Goldhammer. 1994. Sediment transfers and representativeness of mesocosm test fauna. In Rachlin, J.W. (Ed.) Aquatic Mesocosm Studies in Ecological Risk Assessment. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton. pp. 179-200.
French, W.E., B. Vondracek, L.C. Ferrington Jr., J.C. Finlay, and D.J. Dieterman. 2016. Winter diet of brown trout Salmo trutta in groundwater-dominated streams: influence of environmental factors on spatial and temporal variation. Journal of Fish Biology 89: 2449-2464.
French, W.E., B. Vondracek, L.C. Ferrington Jr., J.C. Finlay, and D.J. Dieterman. 2017. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) growth and condition along a winter thermal gradient in temperate streams. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 74: 56-64.
Gresens, S.E. and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 2008. Taxonomic distinctness provides an alternative view of the diversity of Chironomidae (Diptera) assemblages. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal (História Natural) Supplement 13: 101-108.
Gresens, S.E. and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 2010. Chironomid species assemblages of streams draining areas of serpentine versus non-serpentine bedrock. Proceedings of the XV International Symposium on Chironomidae, pp. 55-69.
Hayford, B. and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 2006. Distribution of Chironomidae (Diptera) in Lake Hövsgöl, Mongolia. - In Goulden, C.E., Sitnikova, T., Gelhaus, J. and Boldgiv B. (Eds.) The geology, biodiversity and ecology of Lake Hövsgöl (Mongolia). Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, Netherlands pp. 433-452.
Huggins, D.G., P.M. Liechti, and L.C. Ferrington Jr. (eds.). 1981. Guide to the Freshwater Invertebrates of the Midwest. Biological Survey of Kansas, Technical Publication Number 11. 221 pp.
Huggins, D.C. and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 1981. Introduction to the Insects. In Huggins, D.G., Liechti, P.M., and Ferrington Jr., L.C. (Eds.) Guide to the freshwater invertebrates of the Midwest. Biological Survey of Kansas, Technical Publication Number 11. pp. 49-57.
Rufer, M.R. and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 2008. Sampling frequency required for chironomid community resolution in urban lakes with contrasting trophic states. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal (História Natural) Supplement 13: 77-84.
Sealock, A.W. and L.C. Ferrington Jr. 2008. Sampling efficiency of Chironomidae (Diptera) across disturbance gradients. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal (História Natural) Supplement 13: 85-92.