Knowledge of the life cycles of non-native species in Antarctica is key to understanding their ability to establish and spread to new regions. Through laboratory studies and field observations on Signy Island (South Orkney Islands, maritime Antarctic), we detail the life stages and phenology of Eretmoptera murphyi (Schaeffer 1914), a brachypterous chironomid midge introduced to Signy in the 1960s from sub-Antarctic South Georgia where it is endemic. We confirm that the species is parthenogenetic and suggest that this enables E. murphyi to have an adult emergence period that extends across the entire maritime Antarctic summer season, unlike its sexually reproducing sister species Belgica antarctica which is itself endemic to the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands. We report details of previously undescribed life stages, including verification of four larval instars, pupal development, egg gestation and development, reproductive viability and discuss potential environmental cues for transitioning between these developmental stages. Whilst reproductive success is limited to an extent by high mortality at eclosion, failure to oviposit and low egg-hatching rate, the population is still able to potentially double in size with every life cycle.

中文翻译：

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南极入侵者的生命周期和物候学：不会飞的摇蚊，墨菲 Eretmoptera murphyi

了解南极洲非本地物种的生命周期是了解它们建立和传播到新地区的能力的关键。通过在西尼岛（南奥克尼群岛，南极海域）的实验室研究和实地观察，我们详细介绍了墨菲单翅目（Schaeffer 1914）的生命阶段和物候学，这是一种短翅摇蚊，于 1960 年代从亚南极洲南乔治亚引入西尼，在那里它是地方性的。我们确认该物种是孤雌生殖，并表明这使得墨菲埃斯菌能够有一个跨越整个南极海洋夏季的成虫出现期，不像它的有性繁殖姊妹物种 Belgica antarctica 本身是南极半岛和南设得兰群岛特有的物种岛屿。我们报告以前未描述的生命阶段的详细信息，包括验证四个幼虫龄期、蛹发育、卵子妊娠和发育、生殖活力，并讨论在这些发育阶段之间过渡的潜在环境线索。虽然繁殖成功在一定程度上受到羽化死亡率高、无法排卵和卵孵化率低的限制，但在每个生命周期中，种群数量仍有可能增加一倍。