ABSTRACT
Traditionally, studies of insects, especially of the holometabolic groups, have always used the adult stage as their starting point. This situation is readily understood from the fact that it is easier to collect adults living openly than larvae with their hidden life. Making a collection of larvae is tedious labour. Not only must large series of larvae be collected, but, moreover, adults must be procured as well; for without adult specimens there will be no possibility to reliably identify the material. Since, however, insects tend to be harmful especially during their larval life, the ability to handle and judge larval material is, from a practical point of view, more highly esteemed than knowing how to identify adults. There are many reasons why the study of gall midge larvae, which always form one of the largest components in the soil layer of a biocoenose, is necessary.
