A new method for establishing a permanent laboratory culture of Chironomus riparius Meigen (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Summary A new technique for the establishment of a permanent laboratory culture of Chirono-mus riparius is described. Larvae and pupae were reared in plastic tanks containing tap water, filamentous algae and a commercially prepared fishfood. The tanks were aerated, maintained at a constant temperature of 24°C and subjected to a constant lighting regime of 13 h of light followed by 11 h of darkness. Adults flew freely in a modified handling box, mated, and oviposited on strips of filter paper placed in the plastic tanks containing the aquatic stages. It has proved unnecessary to change the water or medium, which has saved both time and effort. Moreover, larvae established themselves in ail parts ofthe alga, and therefore more could be kept in each tank than when, as in previous methods, they are provided only with a substratum on the floor of the container.