Polytene chromosomes of K. dux
N - nucleolus; BR - Balbiani ring.
Note complex inversion on chromosome I and simple inversion on chromosome IV

Description of Chironomus obscurus Malloch 1915:
60. Chironomus obscuratus, n. sp.
Male.—Bright green, slightly shining.  Head green ; scape of antennae yellow, flagellum fuscous, yellow at base, plumes brown, yellowish white at bases; palpi green, brownish apically.  Mesonotum with reddish yellow vittae; spots on sternopleura and below wing-base, and the postnotum concolorous with vittae. Abdomen yellowish at apex, including the hypopygium.  Legs green, tibiae and tarsi yellowish, foretibiae and tarsi and apices of mid and hind tarsi brownish.  Wings clear, veins yellowish, cross vein not darkened.  Halteres green or yellowish.  Frontal tubercles absent.  Pronotum narrow.  Hypopygium as in Figure 5, Plate XXXIV (below).  Legs slender; fore tarsi without long hairs, basal joint about three fourths longer than fore tibise (78:45), second joint one eighth shorter than tibiae (40); mid and hind legs with moderately long hairs, their tibiae with the apical combs produced into two points, each point armed with a spur.  Third and fourth veins ending respectively at about the same distance before and behind apex of wing; cubitus forking distinctly, but not greatly, beyond cross vein.
Female.—Agrees in color with the male except that the fore tibiae and tarsi are more distinctly browned.
Length, 5-6 mm.
Type locality, Dubois, 111., April 24, 1914 (C. A. Hart and J. R. Malloch).  Paratype from Lilly, III, June 11, 1914 (C. A. Hart).


C. obscuratus male hypopygium

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