The Differential Use of Chironomidae and Ceratopogonidae (Diptera) in the Monitoring of Various Aquatic Wastes.

摘要

Based on larval and adult determinations, 73 chironomid and 26 ceratopogonid taxa were recognized in a two-year survey of four polluted watercourses in southwestern Virginia. Comparative analysis of the midge community in two streams indicated strongly that larval midges can be used profitably to monitor water quality when the effluent is mixed heavy metal and domestic sewage. The chironomid tribe Tanytarsini and the ceratopogonid Culicoides were particularly sensitive. A littoral sampling technique was compared with modified multiple-plate artificial substrates for the species each method collected. The littoral samples yielded significantly higher coefficients of variation,lower densities and fewer taxa than the multiple-plate substrates,but the investigation of the littoral fauna is an expedient method of assessing pollutional impact on smaller streams.