Life history of cricotopus myriophylli oliver (Diptera: Chironomidae) in the okanagan valley, british columbia

The life history of Cricotopus myriophylli Oliver is described from both field observations and laboratory rearing of field-collected larvae. The species appears to be univoltine with four larval instars and has a sex ratio of ca. 2:1, males to females. Emergence begins in late May in British Columbia and continues until mid-September, with first-instar larvae present in the field from mid-June to mid-August. Water temperature does not appear to influence the rate of emergence. In the laboratory at 21°C, larvae complete each of the third and fourth instars in 10-14 days. Cricotopus myriophylli overwinters primarily in the third larval instar, although second and fourth instars were also recovered in field-collected samples. First-instar larvae and eggs were not recovered from winter samples. This species does not appear to undergo a true diapause.