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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera) » Culicomorpha » Phantom Midges (Chaoboridae)

Family Chaoboridae - Phantom Midges

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon ("Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera))

Infraorder Culicomorpha

Family Chaoboridae (Phantom Midges)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Sometimes placed within Culicidae (1).

Explanation of Names

Chaoboridae from genus Chaoborus, that from Greek chao an abyss, empty space, plus Greek bori food, meat or boro greedy, gluttonous (2). (Or from Greek borea Northern?) Likely refers to near transparent, predatory larvae of Chaoborus.

"Phantom" refers to the transparent aquatic larvae (3). For origin of "midge", see Chironomidae.

Numbers

Arnett (3) list 19 species in five genera.

Nearctica.com lists 14 species in 3 genera.

Size

1.5-10 mm

Identification

Resemble mosquitoes but lack a prominent proboscis. Other characters:

body and wing veins with elongated "hairs" (setae), not flat scales (mosquitoes have prominent scales); or perhaps a few scales along margin of wing (3)

lack ocelli

antenna hairs in distinct whorls(3)

Food

Larvae predatory, adults of most species (perhaps) do not feed. A few species are said to take blood as adults (1), but most (all North American?) species do not bite. Adults may take nectar in some cases (Wikipedia).

Life Cycle

Larvae are filter feeders or predators (using modified prehensile antennae) in shallow stagnant waters. Larvae of Chaoborus, at least, are nearly transparent and planktonic, living in water column, not associated with a substrate like most fly larvae (4). Photo of a Mochlonyx larva:

See Also

True Midges--Chironomidae

Mosquitoes--Culicidae

Print References

Gordh, p. 181 (1)

Borror, entries for chao, bori, boro greedy, gluttonous (2)

Arnett, pp. 662-663--family #19 of Diptera (3)

Marshall, pp. 389-390, 432 (4)

Internet References

Insects of Cedar Creek

Wikipedia--Chaoboridae

Aquatic Insects of Michigan--Chaoboridae - Phantom Midges

Works Cited

1.	A Dictionary of Entomology By George Gordh, David H. Headrick

2.	Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms By Donald J. Borror

3.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico By Ross H. Arnett

4.	Insects: Their Natural History And Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America By Stephen A. Marshall

Contributed by tom murray on 19 January, 2006 - 1:47pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Vox Sciurorum
Last updated 30 April, 2009 - 8:04am

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