The Chironomidae Research Group in the News!

1 July 2018

NEW RESEARCH PROJECT INITIATED!

With funding from the Minnesota LCCMR program, we have initiated a new three-year research project. The goal of the project is to better understand the dynamics of winter-developing aquatic insects that serve as the winter diets for trout.

The title of the project is: Variable Winter Thermal Regimes and Managing Trout Streams

 

July 28, 2015

New chironomid research from Alex and Len:

Egan, A. T., Ferrington Jr, L. C., Lafrançois, T., Edlund, M. B. 2015. Seasonal variation in chironomid emergence from coastal pools. European Journal of Environmental Sciences. 5(1): 15–23.

Ferrington Jr, L. C., Masteller, E. 2015. Emergence dynamics of Diamesa cheimatophila Hansen (Diptera: Chironomidae: Diamesinae). European Journal of Environmental Sciences. 5(1): 24–30.

July 27, 2015

Check out our JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) video-article:

Use of Chironomidae (Diptera) Surface-Floating Pupal Exuviae as a Rapid Bioassessment Protocol for Water Bodies

April 1, 2015

Hot off the press! Check out Alex Egan‘s paper about chironomid community stratification from freshwater coastal rock pools.

Egan, A. and L.C. Ferrington, Jr. 2015. Zonal stratification and geographic clustering of a species-rich chironomid community in freshwater coastal rock pools. Hydrobiologia 751(1): 147-158.

March 30, 2015

Learn about the distribution and ecology of 102 chironomid species from freshwater coastal rock pools.

Egan, A. and L.C. Ferrington, Jr. 2015. Chironomidae (Diptera) in Freshwater Coastal Rock Pools at Isle Royale, Michigan. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 141: 1-25.

February 10, 2015

We have been busy publishing new chironomid research this year! Check out our most recent publications.

Kranzfelder, P. and L.C. Ferrington, Jr. 2015. Characterization of Chironomidae (Diptera) Surface-Floating Pupal Exuviae Sample Sort Time from Coastal Tropical Aquatic Systems. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 87(3): 1-8.

Mazack J. E., P. Kranzfelder, A. M. Anderson, R. W. Bouchard, J. Perry, B. Vondracek, and L. C. Ferrington. 2015. Survivorship and longevity of adult Diamesa mendotae Muttkowski, 1915 (Diptera: Chironomidae) at controlled, sub-freezing temperatures. Aquatic Insects: 1-8.

Ferrington L. C. and W. P. Coffman. 2014. Differential Efficiencies of Dip-Net Sampling Versus Sampling Surface-Floating Pupal Exuviae in a Biodiversity Survey of Chironomidae. CHIRONOMUS Newsletter on Chironomidae Research 27: 31-40.

Kavanaugh R. G., A. T. Egan, and L. C. Ferrington. 2014. Factors Affecting Decomposition Rates of Chironomid (Diptera) Pupal Exuviae. CHIRONOMUS Newsletter on Chironomidae Research 27: 16-24.

Egan A. T., L. C. Ferrington Jr, T. Lafrançois, M. B. Edlund, and J. McCullough. 2015. Spatial arrangement and metrics of freshwater coastal rock pools applied to amphibian conservation. Limnologica – Ecology and Management of Inland Waters 51: 101-109.

January 30, 2015

Check out Petra Kranzfelder‘s post about testing DNA extraction methods on chironomid skins on NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet‘s Evolution! blog: http://blogg.vm.ntnu.no/evolusjon/en/2015/01/30/is-there-dna-in-insect-skins/.

July 21, 2014

Check out Petra Kranzfelder‘s interview about a mid-summer mass emergence of mayflies from the Mississippi River: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/07/21/large-mayfly-hatch-possible-cause-of-pierce-co-car-crash/.

May 13, 2014

Come hear about our research at JASM 2014:

A. Anderson: Dynamics of Winter Emerging Chironomidae (Diptera) in Midwestern Trout Streams: A Summary of Over 15 Years of Research

L. Ferrington Jr.: A Predictive Model Relating Variable Thermal Regimes of Springs and Spring-Runs To Voltinism of a Cold Stenthermic Chironomid, Diamesa mendotae Muttkowski

P. Kranzfelder: Variability of Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) Emergence and Species Richness in a Neotropical Estuary

J. Mazack: Overwinter Emergence Dynamics of Adult Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) in Groundwater-Fed Streams of Southeastern Minnesota

B. Vondracek: Seasonal Ecology of Brown Trout and Aquatic Invertebrate Communities in Groundwater Dominated Streams of Southeastern Minnesota

Alex Egan, successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on chironomid communities in freshwater coastal rock pools. Congratulations Alex!

Back in January, Jessica Miller, successfully defended her Master’s thesis on the response of chironomid assemblages to land use in a urban stream. Check out her research here: http://hdl.handle.net/11299/163061.

March 26, 2014

Our latest publication describing chironomid species found on San Salvador Island, Bahamas:

Anderson, A.M., P. Kranzfelder, A. Egan, and L.C. Ferrington, Jr. 2014. A Survey of Neotropical Chironomidae (Diptera) on San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Florida Entomologist 97(1): 304-308.

Available open access: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1896/054.097.0147

April 23, 2013

Our new paper on the longevity and survivorship of a winter-emerging species of chironomid:

Anderson, A., Kranzfelder, P., Bouchard Jr, R., & Ferrington Jr., L. (2013). Survivorship and longevity of Diamesa mendotae Muttkowski (Diptera: Chironomidae) under snow. Journal Of Entomological And Acarological Research, 45(1), e6. doi:10.4081/jear.2013.e6

April 18, 2013

Jane Mazack successfully defended her Master’s thesis on winter emergence, survival, and longevity of Diamesia mendotae in groundwater-fed streams. Congratulations!

December 27, 2012

Here is the latest addition to great chironomid research:

Anderson, A.M. & L.C. Ferrington. 2012. Resistance and Resilience of Winter-Emerging Chironomidae (Diptera) to a Flood Event: Implications for Minnesota Trout Streams. Hydrobiologia. DOI 10.1007/s10750-012-1406-4 (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10750-012-1406-4).

October 18, 2012

Proceedings of the Chironomidae symposium held in Trondheim last year now is published and available open access through the Fauna norvegica website: http://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/fauna_norvegica.

Note the publication “Time-Efficiency of Sorting Chironomidae Surface-Floating Pupal Exuviae Samples from Urban Trout Streams in Northeast Minnesota, USA” by Alyssa M. Anderson and Leonard C. Ferrington.

October 12, 2012

We are discovering global solutions in Canada and Costa Rica with chironomids!

September 26, 2012

Alyssa Anderson, successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis on winter-emerging chironomid dynamics. Congratulations Alyssa!