Tokunagaia Saether, 1973

Namayandeh, Armin, Hudson, Patrick L., Bogan, Daniel L. & Hudson, John P., 2024, Chironomidae (Diptera: Insecta) of Alaska, USA, with descriptions of new species and a checklist, Zootaxa 5511 (1), pp. 1-95 : 74

Tokunagaia Saether, 1973

The first Alaskan record of Tokunagaia were larvae described as Eukiefferiella Alaska sp. I from the Dietrich and Atigun Rivers in the Brooks Range of Alaska ( Tilley 1979). Bode (1983) concluded that these larval specimens belonged to the Eukiefferiella rectangularis group. Halvorsen & Saether (1987) moved the E. rectangularis group into the genus Tokunagaia . Webb et al. (2022) confirmed the presence of this species in Alaska based on DNA barcode data obtained from specimens in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.

Webb et al. (2022) also collected larvae of Tokunagaia obriani Hayes & Murray, 1988 from Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve and Tokunagaia parexcellens Tuiskunen, 1986 from Denali National Park. Brabets & Ourso (2013) reported on Tokunagaia larvae from Denali National Park. Halvorsen & Saether (1987) suggested that these two closely related genera must be revisited, suggesting that Tokunagaia may deserve only subgeneric rank. Bode (1983) notes that species in this genus prefer northern latitudes or higher elevations. Andersen et al. (2013) describe the larval habitat as moss, algal mats, or gelatinous cases adhering to the surface of stones in fast-flowing water.