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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera) » Mosquitoes and Midges (Culicomorpha) » Non-biting Midges (Chironomidae)

Family Chironomidae - Non-biting Midges

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited
Female Chironimid Midge, right? - female Rotting tree dweller 26 (midge) - female midge - Glyptotendipes paripes - female Midge with lumpy abdomen - female 2018-10-07 Autumn brown midge - female Orange and Black Midge - Cricotopus - female Orthocladiinae female? - female Fly - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera))
Infraorder Culicomorpha (Mosquitoes and Midges)
Family Chironomidae (Non-biting Midges)
Other Common Names
Blind Mosquitoes, Common Midges
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Tendipedidae
Explanation of Names
Chironomidae Newman 1834
see Chironomus
midge, from Old English mycg[e] 'small fly' traceable to the Indo-European *mu- of same meaning
Numbers
>1050 spp. in our area(1); almost 7300 spp. in ~540 genera worldwide(2)
Size
mostly 1‒10 mm; males of Chironomus plumosus to 13 mm
Identification
resemble mosquitoes but do not bite. Often "dance" in the air in large swarms over water or lawns. At rest hold front legs extended forward above head-height.
Family characters(3)(4):
wings long and narrow, without scales (mosquito wing has scales)
males have long, feathery (plumose) antennae
front tarsi often very long
wing tip without a straight vein reaching margin between two branched veins
keys to genera (both adults & larvae) in (5); keys to larvae: Canada(6), NC+SC(7)
To improve your chances for an ID, see closeup picture requests.
Range
Worldwide but absent from some hot deserts
Habitat
Usually damp areas, or near bodies of water. Larvae mostly aquatic; a few occur in decaying matter, under bark or in moist ground. Larvae of some species tolerate seasonal desiccation.
Season
Early spring through fall in temperate areas; Diamesinae and a few members of Orthocladiinae fly in winter.
Food
Larvae mostly scavengers. Most Tanypodinae prey on small invertebrates, including other Chironomidae. Larvae of a few species are parasites of invertebrates (a South American genus parasitizes fish).
Adults are short-lived and do not need to feed. Many will take sugar water (or honeydew) given the opportunity.
Life Cycle
Larvae are mostly aquatic filter feeders, often living in tubes in soft mud; some are leaf-miners of aquatic plants.
Eggs - Larva - Pupa
Remarks
The haemolymph of the red Chironomus larvae, called "bloodworms," contains hemoglobin, unusual for insects. Larvae are often very abundant and are an important food item for many freshwater fish and other aquatic animals.
See Also
Culicidae • Chaoboridae
Internet References
(8)
Works Cited
1.Chironomid Research Group at University of Minnesota
2.Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification...
Pape T., Blagoderov V., Mostovski M.B. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 222–229.
3.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
4.Photographic Atlas of Entomology and Guide To Insect Identification
James L. Castner. 2000. Feline Press.
5.Aquatic Insects of North America
R. W. Merritt, K. W. Cummins, M.B. Berg. 2008. Kendall/Hunt.
6.The genera of larval midges of Canada (Diptera, Chironomidae)
Oliver D.R., Roussel M.E. 1983. The insects and arachnids of Canada, Pt. 11. Ottawa: Agriculture Canada. 263 pp.
7.Identification Manual for the Larval Chironomidae (Diptera) of North and South Carolina
8.The Chironomid home page
Contributed by Cotinis on 6 April, 2004 - 11:11pm
Additional contributions by John VanDyk, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, Chuck Entz, Vox Sciurorum, ceiseman, v belov, KenW, Arturo Santos, zdanko
Last updated 26 October, 2023 - 6:13pm

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