STUDIES ON MORPHOLOGY AND KARYOTYPE OF CHIRONOMUS AUSTIN (CHIRONOMIDAE: DIPTERA) FROM AURANGABAD DISTRICT (M.S) INDIA

The chironomidae is widely distributed group of aquatic and semi aquatic insects. These flies of the family Chironomidae, commonly referred non-biting midges are the holometabolous insects, with life cycle completed in the form of egg, larva, pupa and adult. During the present study the morphology of larva, pupa and adult of Chironomus austin was studied. The study reveals that the greatest part of their life cycle is in larval form. Larva is dark red in colour with 13-15 segments. The larvae are elongated with 20-23 mm length and having sclerotised head capsule, narrow, cylindrical body with one or two pairs of ventral tubule. The adult male is brownish in colour and smaller than the female. The antennae are hairy and plumose type. Chironomus austin is having thummi-type cytocomplex with the arm combination AB, CD, EF and G (2n=8).