EGG MASSES OF CHIRONOMIDAE (DIPTERA) - A REVIEW, INCLUDING NEW OBSERVATIONS AND A PRELIMINARY KEY

This review paper consists of four main parts: 1) Original data on egg masses of 25 genera (32 species) which are described and documented w ith photographs; 2) a review of the literature published from 1713 to 1992 and its critical evaluation concerning the organization patterns present in chironomid egg masses; 3) a preliminary key constructed in conclusion of this review and 4) an illustrated glossary in which defi nitions of structures are listed. These have been elaborated to analyz e the organization patterns of the egg masses previously described, so as to identify equivalent structures, transform all descriptions into a comparable data base (Tabs. 1-6) and construct the preliminary key. In order to enhance the accessibility of the widely-scattered literat ure on chironomid egg masses, figures from original publications are p resented here whenever possible thus being a documentation as well as a source of information.