Hemocytes of a tropical midge Chironomus ramosus (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Insects possess freely flowing cells in their circulation known as hemocytes. Chironomus, a non-biting midge is an insect of the Chironomidae family. We have characterized hemocytes from C. ramosus, which is a first report of its kind for any tropical Chironomid species. We have also developed protocol for extraction and characterization of hemocytes by both high-resolution light and electron microscopy devoid of contamination with a better yield. Five types of hemocytes namely plasmatocyte, oenocyte, spherulocyte, granulocytes and prohemocytes were found in fourth instar larvae of C. ramosus. When compared with temperate non-biting midges, similar type of hemocytes, except prohemocytes could be noticed. The present study will improve future investigations on larval hemocytes based on cellular morphology using light and electron microscopy.