A dipteran from south of the Antarctic Circle: Belgica antarctica (Chironomidae) with a description of its larva

Belgica antarctica Jacobs is recorded for the first time from two localities south of the Antarctic circle: Orford Cliff (66°55'S) on the Continental mainland and the Refuge Islands (68°21'S). The larva is described, and measurements of head capsule lengths indicate four instars. The larva...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
Main Authors: Usher, Michael B., Edwards, Marion
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Linnean Society 1984
Subjects:
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Refuge Islands
Orford
Orford Cliff
Antarc*
Antarctica
antarcticus
Belgica antarctica
Online Access:http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/523784/
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1984.tb00803.x
Description
Summary:Belgica antarctica Jacobs is recorded for the first time from two localities south of the Antarctic circle: Orford Cliff (66°55'S) on the Continental mainland and the Refuge Islands (68°21'S). The larva is described, and measurements of head capsule lengths indicate four instars. The larvae south of the Antarctic circle appear to be slightly smaller than those from within the main distributional range. Belgica antarctica is certainly the earth's southernmost free‐living holometabolous insect, but the flea Glaciopsyllus antarcticus has been recorded 14 minutes of latitude farther south than the southernmost records of B. antarctica.

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