Abstract
Larvae of the tube building midge Chironomus transvaalensis Kieffer have been shown to clump at low densities, while at high densities individuals are uniformly distributed. Even when numbers are low, however, individuals are regularly spaced within clumps; as density increases, the clumps coalesce.
A maximum value of nearly 5,000 individuals per square metre exists, at which point the feeding areas surrounding tubes of adjacent larvae are touching. The defense of this ‘territory’ and its possible role in population density regulation are discussed.
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McLachlan, A.J. Density and distribution in laboratory populations of midge larvae (Chironomidae: diptera). Hydrobiologia 55, 195–199 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00017550
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00017550