THE GROWTH OF Tanypus punctipennis Meigen (DIPTERA, CHIRONOMIDAE) LARVAE IN LABORATORY CONDITIONS AND THE EFFECTS OF WATER TEMPERATURE AND pH

Abstract

Recent taxonomic studies suggest that findings of larval chironomids should be supported also by adult findings in order to obtain more robust and reliable results on the studied group. Moreover identifications of larvae of some species can be made to genus level only due to similarities of some larval characteristics in different species. In such cases, species level identifications can be achieved by the growth of larvae in laboratory conditions. Also, larval culturing under optimum growth conditions will not only make it easy to provide materials for experimental studies and but also achievement of larvae with a higher biomass value to be used as food in the sector. In this study, Tanypus punctipennis Meigen (Diptera, Chironomidae), a very common species in Turkish Thrace, was used as the model organism for culture studies. Individual larvae were cultured from third instar stage to adult form under laboratory conditions. A simple and cheap method is offered for experimental studies on larval growths of chironomids and the effects of water temperature and pH, both with very important roles in larval culturing, were determined. The overall results of laboratory tests showed that the temperature value of 25°C and 7-8 pH interval were the optimal laboratory conditions for culture of T. punctipennis larvae.

Keywords

• Freshwater,midge,environmental conditions,rearing,identification

THE GROWTH OF Tanypus punctipennis Meigen (DIPTERA, CHIRONOMIDAE) LARVAE IN LABORATORY CONDITIONS AND THE EFFECTS OF WATER TEMPERATURE AND pH

Öz

Son zamanlarda yapılan taksonomik çalışmalarda larval chironomidlerin erginleri ile birlikte değerlendirilmesinin daha güvenilir sonuçlar verdiği belirtilmektedir. Ayrıca, bazı türlerin teşhisleri, larval safhadaki bazı karakterlerin türler arasındaki benzerlikleri nedeniyle ancak cins düzeyine kadar yapılabilmektedir. Bu durumda larvaların laboratuvar koşullarında yetiştirilerek erginleştirilmesi sayesinde tür düzeyinde teşhisleri mümkün olabilmektedir. Ayrıca, uygun yetiştirme koşulları belirlenerek yapılan larva yetiştiriciliği, bir taraftan deneysel çalışmalarda gerekli materyalin eldesi için kolaylık sağlarken, diğer taraftan balık yemi sektöründe daha ileri instar evrelerine ve dolayısıyla yüksek biyomass değerine hızla erişecek larva temini için de yararlı olacaktır. Bu araştırmada, yetiştirme çalışmaları için model tür olarak Trakya’da oldukça yaygın olan Tanypus punctipennis Meigen (Diptera, Chironomidae) larvaları kullanıldı. Bireyler, üçüncü instar safhasından ergin forma erişinceye dek laboratuvar koşullarında yetiştirildi. Böylelikle, laboratuvar koşullarında larval chironomid yetiştirme amaçlı çalışmalar için basit ve ucuz bir yöntem deneyimlenerek sunulurken, larvaların yetişmesinde oldukça önemli rolü olan su sıcaklığı ve pH gibi çevresel faktörlerin etkileri de araştırıldı. Çalışmanın sonucunda T. punctipennis larvalarının gelişiminde 25°C ve 7-8 pH aralığının en uygun koşullar olduğu belirlendi.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Freshwater,midge,environmental conditions,rearing,identification

References

1. 1. Armitage, P., Cranston, P.S.V. & Pinder, L.C.V. 1995. The Chironomidae - The biology and ecology of non-biting midges, Chapman and Hall, London, 572 pp.
2. 2. Aydın, G.B. & Güher, H. 2017. The Chironomidae (Diptera) fauna of Kırklareli province. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 41: 335-341.
3. 3. Courtney, L.A. & Clements, W.H. 1998. Effects of acidic pH on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in stream microcosms. Hydrobiologia, 379: 135-145.
4. 4. Çamur-Elipek, B., Arslan, N., Kırgız, T., & Öterler, B. 2006. Benthic macrofauna in Tunca River (Turkey) and their relationship with environmental variables. Acta Hydrochimica et Hydrobiologica, 34: 360-366.
5. 5. Çamur-Elipek, B., Arslan, N., Kırgız, T., Öterler, B., Güher, H., & Özkan, N. 2010. Analysis of benthic macroinvertebrates in relation to environmental variables of Lake Gala, a national park of Turkey. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 10: 235-243.
6. 6. Çamur-Elipek, B., Güher, H., Kırgız, T. & Özkan, N. 2012. A comparative study on larval chironomid limnofauna (Insecta, Diptera) of some lakes in İğneada (Kırklareli, Turkey). Review of Hydrobiology, 5(1): 57-70.
7. 7. Epler, J. 2001. Identification manual for the larval Chironomidae (Diptera) of North and South Carolina. Orlando, Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, 526 pp.
8. 8. Ferrington, L.C. 2008. Global diversity of non-biting midges (Chironomidae; Insecta-Diptera) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia, 595: 447-455.

9. 9. Fittkau, E.J. & Roback, S.S. 1983. The Larvae of Tanypodinae (Diptera: Chironomidae) of the Holarctic Region –Keys and Diagnoses, Entomologica Scandinavica Supplement, 19, 109 pp.
10. 10. Habibi, M.A.B., Ali, M.M. & Dey, N. 1992. Culture of chironomids larvae in artificial medium. Bangladesh Journal of Fisheries, 20: 63-70.
11. 11. Kenney, M.A., Sutton-Grier, A.E., Smith, R.F. & Gresens, S.E. 2009. Benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality: The intersection of science and policy. Terrestrial Arthropod Reviews, 2: 99-128.
12. 12. Langton, P.H. & Pinder, L.C.V. 2007. Keys to the Adult Male Chironomidae of Britain and Ireland, Freshwater Biological Association, 1, 64 pp.
13. 13. Maasri, A., Fayolle, S., Gandouin, E., Garnier, R. & Franquet, E. 2008. Epilithic chironomid larvae and water enrichment: Is larval distribution explained by epilithon quantity or quality? Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 27(1): 38-51.
14. 14. Maier, K.J., Kosalwat, P. & Knight, A.W. 1990. Culture of Chironomus decorus (Diptera: Chironomidae) and the effect of temperature on its life history. Environmental Entomology, 19: 1681-1688.
15. 15. Makela, T.P. & Oikari, A.O.J. 1992. The effects of low water pH on the ionic balance in freshwater mussel Anodonta anatine L. Annales Botanici Fennici, 29: 169-175.
16. 16. Namayandeh, A. & Beresford, D.V. 2012. An easy to make and simple designed rearing apparatus for Chironomidae. Chironomus Newsletter for Chironomidae Research, 25: 33-34.
17. 17. Nath, S., Podder, R. & Kumar, B. 2017. Seasonal trend of body protein and growth of Chironomid larvae. Proceedings of the Zoological Society, 70(1): 88-91.
18. 18. Özkan, N. 2006. Fauna of chironomid (Chironomidae; Diptera) in Turkish Thrace Region (Kırklareli, Tekirdağ, İstanbul and Çanakkale). Ege University Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 23(1-2): 125-132.
19. 19. Özkan, N. 2007. Chironomidae (Diptera) larvae of Çanakkale Region and their distribution. Trakya University Journal of Natural Sciences, 8(2): 123-132.
20. 20. Özkan, N. & Çamur-Elipek, B. 2006. The dynamics of Chironomidae larvae (Diptera) and the water quality in Meriç River (Edirne/Turkey). TISCIA, 35: 49-54.
21. 21. Özkan, N. & Çamur-Elipek, B. 2007. Relationships between chironomid communities (Diptera: Chironomidae) and environmental parameters in Sazlıdere Stream (Turkish Thrace). TISCIA, 36: 29-34.
22. 22. Özkan, N., Moubayed-Breil, J. & Çamur-Elipek, B. 2010. Ecological analysis of chironomid larvae (Diptera, Chironomidae) in Ergene River Basin (Turkish Thrace). Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 10: 93-99.
23. 23. Sæther, O.A. 1980. Glossary of Chironomid Morphology Terminology (Diptera, Chironomidae), Scandinavian Entomology, Sandby, Sweden, 51 pp.
24. 24. Sahandi, J. 2011. Natural food production for aquaculture: Cultivation and nutrition of chironomid larvae (Insecta, Diptera). Advances in Environmental Sciences- Bioflux, 3(3): 268-271.
25. 25. Specziar, A. 2008. Life history patterns of Procladius choreus, Tanypus punctipennis and Chironomus balatonicus in Lake Balaton. Annales de Limnologie - International Journal of Limnology, 44(3): 181-188.
26. 26. Tokeshi, M. 1995. Life cycles and population dynamics, Pp 225-250 In: P.D. Armitage, P.S. Cranston and L.C.V. Pinder (Editors) The Chironomidae: biology and ecology of non-biting midges. Chapman and Hall. London UK, 572 pp.
27. 27. Vallenduuk, H. & Lipinski, A. 2009. Neglected and new characters in Chironomidae: Tanypodinae (Larvae). Lauterbornia, 68: 83-93.
28. 28. Vos, J.H., Ooijevaar, M.A.G., Postma, J.E. & Admiraal, W. 2000. Interaction between food availability and food quality during growth of early instar chironomid larvae. Journal of North American Benthological Society, 19(1): 158-168.
29. 29. Weisse, T. & Stadler, P. 2006. Effect of pH on growth, cell volume, and production of freshwater ciliates, and implications for their distribution. Limnology and Oceanography, 51(4): 1708-1715.
30. 30. Wiederholm, T. 1989. The Adult Males of Chironomidae (Diptera) of the Holarctic Region-Keys and Diagnoses, Entomologica Scandinavica Supplement, 34, 532 pp.