A NEW SPECIES OF METRIOCNEMUS v.d.WULP (DIPTERA, CHIRONOMIDAE) INHABITIG ERYNGIUM (APIACEA) PHYTOTELMATA FROM BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.

DONATO, MARIANO; PAGGI, ANALÍA C.

Chascomús. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Congreso; III Congreso Argentino de Limnología; 2005

INTECH-CONICET; ANPCyT; Municipalidad de Chascomús

The genus Metriocnemus v. d. Wulp belongs to the subfamily Orthocladiinae (Chironomidae) and it has worldwide distribution. Four endemic species are known for the Neotropics. Metriocnemus occurs in one of the widest ranges of biotopes of any dipteran genus. Such biotopes can be mosses and higher vegetation, pitcher plants and hollow trees to margins of springs, ditches, steams, damp soils, and hygropetric biotopes, and occasionally in lakes and rock pools. Phytotelmata are structures formed by terrestrial plants that impound water, such as modified leaves, leaf axils, flowers, stem holes or depressions, open fruits, and fallen leaves. Chironomid midges are numerous in most phytotelm communities with the genus Metriocnemus as the most frequently encountered in these habitats. As a result of field studies, larvae were collected from Eryngium (Apiaceae) phytotelmata belonging to genus Metriocnemus. These larvae were reared and we found to belong to no formally described taxon. Therefore, the objectives of this work are to describe a new species and to analyze the affinities with the other members of the genus from the Neotropics.