The responses of aquatic insects affected by diverse chemical pollutants are of increasing concern worldwide. Especially in urban streams, a wide range of contaminants pose potential risks to the health of macroinvertebrates contributing to population decline or phenotypic variations (Arambourou et al., 2019). Therefore, the toxicological effects of insects in aquatic ecosystems are worth studying to evaluate the effects of pollutants. Among benthic communities, the larvae of Chironomidae are the most abundant and ubiquitous species of sediment-dwelling fauna in freshwater ecosystems (Andersen et al., 2013). Due to their wide distribution and short lifespans, the ease of the identification of their different stages, and their high sensitivity to toxicants, these non-biting midges are widely used for studying the impact of environmental pollutants in aquatic systems (Anderson, 1997;OECD, 2010).

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The genus Demicryptochironomus Lenz 1941 from China is revised. The males of six new species are described: D. (Demicryptochironomus) antennarius sp. n., D. (D.) minus sp. n., D. (D.) pannus sp. n., D. (D.) yui sp. n., D. (Irmakia) concavus sp. n., D. (I.) constrictus sp. n. Demicryptochironomus (I.) neglectus Reiss 1988 is new to China. Demicryptochironomus (D.) vulneratus (Zetterstedt 1838) and D. (I.) spatulatus Wang & Zheng 1994 are redescribed. The larva of D. (D.) vulneratus is described from China for the first time, and an unplaced larva is described. Keys to males and known larvae of the genus are presented. An emended generic diagnosis is given and the systematics discussed.

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