Does salinity affect body proportions and “size/mass” ratios of highly halotolerant Baeotendipes noctivagus larvae (Diptera, Chironomidae)?

Measuring the linear characteristics of chironomid larvae is easier and faster than measuring their mass. The relationships between them are approximated by parabolic equations. Generalized equations are provided for all chironomid larvae. However, these relations vary in different water bodies. Measurements of 1424 chironomid larvae representing several species were taken in Crimean waters with salinity ranging from 0 to 280 PSU. There was a high correlation between three traits. In the case of Baeotendipes noctivagus and Cricotopus gr. sylvestris, dimorphism was found in the “head capsule length–width” relationship. Salinity affects the head capsule. The exponent “b” varied from 1.43 to 3.06 in the “body length-mass” equation for B. noctivagus, and from 1.943 to 2.592 for C. gr. sylvestris. It is inappropriate to use only one coefficient “b” for all chironomid larvae. In B. noctivagus and Paratanytarsus confuses, the mass of one-size larvae decreased with increasing salinity. Salinity is not the only factor affecting the size and mass of chironomid larvae.

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