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Photo#223514
Speckled Midge, 12:26pm - Tanypus

Speckled Midge, 12:26pm - Tanypus
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
July 7, 2008

Moved
Moved from Midges.

Not the usual kind
This midge appears to have the M-Cu crossvein which is missing in the most common kinds of midges. That means it is not in one of the two subfamilies for which bugguide has pages. The relevant bits of the key to female midges from the big book of Chironomidae(1) page 55 are, ignoring options that lead to subfamilies not found inland in North America,

2-4 say if this has two widely separated R veins, and not three or two close veins, then it is subfamily Podonominae or two others not found here.

I can't make out the details. Do you have a closer picture of the mid and back part of the wing?

5-6 say if the back end looks like figure 3.2e on page 56 it is Tanypodinae. It looks like that figure to me, and unlike the alternative figure that leads to couplets 7-10.

7-8 say if it has crossvein M-Cu, which yours appears to, it is probably Prodiamesinae if that vein is before the fork in Cu and probably Diamesinae otherwise.

Otherwise 9-10 distinguish the two common subfamilies.


Update: based on another couple references, I think this is Tanypus.

 
Unfourtunately not,..
I do see this pattern on midges every now and then, I have a better camera now so i will try to get another pic.

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