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Photo#168338
Midge it? - male

Midge it? - Male
Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County, California, USA
February 2, 2008
Size: ~2mm
Black and 2mm long (not including antenna)- Midges are hard to identify, but this one is quite different from the usual brown or green (or both) midges that I normally see. Also, this one had the audacity to be found in my living room! Judging from the antenna I would guess male, however it lacks the extremely long front legs with their characteristic curling up (like helicopter skids)at their terminations. The abdomen has a stronger more serrated look. Combined with the black coloring it has a slightly more predatory look than most midges. Black subjects on a white background tend not to show much detail. I had to over expose it a little to see even this much.

A guess
If this were taken in a colder climate I would say Orthocladiinae, because winter-emerging midges in cold areas tend to belong to two subfamilies and what I can see of the wing veins looks more like Orthocladiinae than Diamesinae. I don't know if the Sunnyvale has the same winter midges.

I think winter midges are generally black to absorb more sunlight.

 
Thanks for the info, John
Interesting info. You know during winter one grows desperate for insects to photograph. At 2mm, I was pushing my limits using a 90mm lens with a 1:1 limit. I've already been shooting more midges...with a little less success, though :(

Chironomid adult male
HandsOff-

To me at least, it appears to be a pretty typical looking chironomid adult male. I'm aware of 1,233 N. American species among 189 genera in family Chironomidae, and they vary greatly in size and color. However, black would not be a particularly unusual body color.

 
Thanks, Rodger...
...I always post first, and look up information later - It seems the most efficient way to learn, given that I come from a background of close to no knowledge of insects until very recently.

After I started looking, I did, indeed find that black was rather common, this build was rather common, and even the more "spiked" appearance of the antenna tendrils was common. It's just that it was a first for me! I have a pond so I see a fair number of midges. They usually are predominantly green or tan, and much more delicate looking. Anyway, it's always fun to see something new, be it common or exotic!

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