Chironomid midge (Lobodiamesa)

Taxonomic group

Chironomidae: Lobodiamesa

Diagnostic features

Lobodiamesa is a member of the Diamesinae, a subfamily of the Chironomidae. Like other chironomids the general body form is worm-like, but with a distinct head, and with paired prolegs under the head and at the end of the abdomen. Lobodiamesa larvae have a light yellow head, with eyes consisting of two joining spots, the larger spot behind the smaller one, and the head has a distinct black collar.

[Lobodiamesa]. Image: Stephen Moore Image — Lobodiamesa. Image: Stephen Moore

[Lobodiamesa]. Black collar behind pale yellow head. Image: Stephen Moore Image — Lobodiamesa. Black collar behind pale yellow head. Image: Stephen Moore

Typical habitats

Lobodiamesa larvae are found mainly in mountain or hill country streams.

Feeding

They are presumably collector-gatherers; gut content analysis has found fragments of invertebrates and streambed algae.

Indicator value

Hard bottom: 5
Soft bottom: 7.7

The tolerance values (ranging from 0 to 10) give an indication of which are the sensitive taxa (values of 8 or more) and which are the tolerant taxa (values of 3 or less). For more information see: Indicator species

Lobodiamesa are infrequently recorded but they tend to occur in good quality mountain streams. They have moderate to high tolerance values of 5 (hard bottom sites) and 7.7 (soft bottom sites).