The First Record of The Subfamily Buchonomyiinae(Diptera, Chironomidae) from Italy

In June and July 2002 mature female pupae and pupal exuviae of B. thienemanni Fittkau were collected from running waters in Northern Italy. This is the first record of the subfamily Buchonomyinae from the Mediterranean region. The captured pupae show some differences from the European populations: the arrangement of the lateral abdominal setae and the presence of pedes spurii A. New information about autoecology and geographical distribution of B. thienemanni are given: an earlier emergence was observed in sites characterized by fast, shallow waters and high oxygen content. The species seems to be quite rare in the Mediterranean, and no larvae have been obtained yet. This paper describes morphology, ecology and distribution of a rare species and is a contribution to the knowledge of freshwater macroinvertebrates as recommended by the Directive of The European Parliament n. 60/2000/CE.