<i>Chaetocladius</i> Kieffer (Diptera: Chironomidae) in China

The genus Chaetocladius was established by Kieffer in 1911, with Dactylocladius setiger Kieffer as the type species. The immature stages of Chaetocladius are found in a wide variety of semiaquatic and truly aquatic habitats, mainly in alpine, arctic or subarctic areas of the Holarctic and Afrotropical regions. However, Chaetocladius on the whole as well as a number of species within it have been in dire need of revision for a long time. Based on the double or single gonostylus, with or without crista dorsalis and virga, the genus can be divided into two subgenera, C. (Amblycladius Kieffer) and C. (Chaetocladius) (Sæther 1986). C. (Amblycladius) includes C. (Amblycladius) subplumosus Kieffer only, while C. (Chaetocladius) can be divided into four species groups based on the immature stages, the dentiforceps, piger, vitellinus and acuticornus groups, while this is only partly sustained by the adult males (Cranston et al. 1983, Cranston & Martin 1989, Stur & Spies 2011). Chaetocladius is a species rich genus of the subfamily Orthocladiinae with a worldwide distribution. Up to date, the genus comprises 55 recorded species: 49 species in the Palaearctic region, 6 in the Nearctic region, 1 in the Oriental region, 2 in the Afrotropical region (Sublette & Sublette 1973, Cranston & Martin 1989, Ashe & Cranston 1990, Oliver et al. 1990, Harrison 1992, Wang 2000, Chaudhuri 2001, Yamamoto 2004, Makarchenko 2004, 2011, Stur & Spies 2011). Wang (2000) recorded only one species of this genus from China, C. dentiforceps Edwards. In this paper an additional three new species are described and illustrated. Five species from China can be included in the subgenus C. (Chaetocladius). A key to the males of Chaetocladius from China is presented.