Studies on the Chironomid Collected on Goto Islands, Western Japan

Collections of chironomid midges were conducted by Suzuki at 3 localities on the Goto Islands situated west of Kyushu, at the side of Wani River on Nov. 28,1999, at the side of Ohgawara River on Nov. 29, and in the town of Fukue on Nov. 29. Samples of fallen leaves were collected in vinyl bags from bottom of the streams, kept in the laboratory under room temperature, and adult midges emerged from them were individually mounted on slides in gum-chloral medium with our standard method. A total of 29 adult male specimens collected with this method were examined, and were classified into 9 chironomid species, among which 3 are described as new species. Wild adult midges swarming in the air or resting in bushes were also collected during daytime with insect net at the same localities, screened under stereomicroscope for differentiating the species, and 95 adult males among them were mounted on slides. These were classified into 34 chironomid species, and 4 among them are described as new species. The number of species common to these samples collected with the two different methods were only 4, and none of the new species were collected with the two methods, showing that the simultaneous use of these methods are both significant. Of the total of 40 species collected this time, only 11 are considered as in common with those recorded from Europe, Americas and the mainland of Japan, 22 are those already recorded in other areas of Japan but not outside of this country, and 7 are described as new species this time