Boreochlus Edwards, 1938

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 : 39

Boreochlus Edwards, 1938

Two species of Boreochlus have been recorded in Alaska. Boreochlus gracilistylus Brundin, 1966 was first recorded from Alaska by Wirth & Sublette (1970). Specimens were collected in a net attached to a jeep (car-top insect trap or car-top trap) traveling along Highway 1 between Kenai Lake and Anchorage in September 1964 and 1965 ( Sommerman & Simmet 1965). We collected B. gracilistylus near a seepage area next to Ebner Falls on Gold Creek in Juneau, Alaska. Boreochlus persimilis ( Johannsen, 1926) was first recorded from Alaska by Wirth & Sublette (1970) from car-top trap material collected by Sommerman & Simmet (1965) along Highway 1 between Anchorage and Palmer, Alaska, in September 1964. We collected B. persimilis in seeps and first-order streams in Southeast Alaska and moss from a stream on Unalaska Island in Southwestern Alaska. Collection sites in Southeast Alaska included seeps near Margaret Bay on Revillagigedo Island, near Hanus Bay on Catherine Island, at Turner Lake near Juneau ( Fig. 9A ), a first-order stream near Lena Point in Juneau, and near the lower Bartlett River in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve ( Fig. 9B ). LaSage et al. (2005) reported Boreochlus larvae from eleven headwater streams in the Maybeso Creek and Harris River watershed on Prince of Wales Island. We found a Boreochlus larva in Little Rabbit Creek in Anchorage.

The larval habitats of Boreochlus in the southeastern U.S.A. include moss or leaf packs in seepage areas, rivulets, and small streams ( Hudson et al. 1990). In Alaska, we found larvae inhabit mats of algae.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Some of the study’s collection sites and habitats of Chironomidae in Alaska. A. Turner Lake, near Juneau. B. Bartlett River in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. C. Alaska, USA and Yukon Territory, Canada international boundary. D. Auke Lake outlet in Juneau. E. Rachael Lake near Bettles. F. Spike Creek on Revillagigedo Island. G. Auke Lake in Juneau. H. Hebert River near Juneau. I. Nugget Falls, in Juneau. J. Forested bog near Eagle crest Ski Area, Douglas Isand. K. Creek outlet at Margaret Bay on Revillagigedo Island. L. Mount Roberts (foreground) in Juneau. M. A snow-melt stream (arrows) on Thunder Mountain, Juneau. N. Tangle River near Paxon. O. Kanuti Lake outlet in Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge. P. Fish Creek on Douglas Island. Q. Antler River near Juneau. R. Harbor Mountain, Sitka. S. Observing Thalassosmittia marina (Saunders, 1928) larvae in intertidal rock pools near Lena Point, Juneau. T. Larvae of T. marina (arrows) inhabiting a rock pool in the upper tidal zone and feeding on periphytic algae near Lena Point, Juneau. U.A tundra lake east of King Salmon. V. Swarm of Corynocera oliveri group adults on a tundra lake east of King Salmon.