fast crawling little bug - Chasmatonotus unimaculatus

midges of Connecticut

John, it's great that you got that key and were able to get this midge to species.

… tom murray, 14 January, 2009 - 6:18pm

Chasmatonotus unimaculatus Loew 1864

I acquired a key to the midges of Connecticut, which is kind of like New Hampshire. This must be Chasmatonotus unimaculatus. There are four species listed from the Eastern USA. Two have two white spots, two have one. One of the single-spotted versions has the spot covering the wing base.

The key was published in 1952 based on a key from 1937. No new species have been described from North America since then. The species not listed in the key are all from the West Coast. Odds are high that this is C. unimaculatus and not a dramatic range extension.

Your other Chasmatonotus midge appears to have a small white spot near the wing base. If that counts as a spot it fails to key, otherwise it is the same as this guy.

… John F. Carr, 13 January, 2009 - 7:34pm

Moved

Moved from Midges.

… tom murray, 1 December, 2008 - 9:56pm

these are strange angles

but might it be a midge?

… Lynette Schimming, 17 September, 2005 - 8:31pm

Midge

That's what it looks like with those long legs, and the head shape. I've just never seen a midge move that quickly around a leaf before.
I'll move it to the Chironomidae guide page.
Thanks Lynette, that should clean up all my old ID Requests.

… tom murray, 17 September, 2005 - 10:20pm