Genus Glyptotendipes

Three subgenera, of which Glyptotendipes s. str. is most common with five described and at least three undescribed species.

The mark along the middle of abdominal tergites 2-6 or 3-6 is distinctive; it is the remnant of the attachment point for pupal structures which are also distinctive in that life phase.

Some species have third segment of fore tarsus nearly as long or longer than second. Most Chironomidae have segments 1-4 decreasing in length. The pronotum has a broad, deep notch in the middle. In most Chironomidae the front of the pronotum is smooth or has a shallow or narrow notch.

Widespread in North America (and beyond)

"Larvae occur in usually eutrophic standing and slow moving water, where they are found in or on sediments and aquatic plants; several species are miners in plants or decaying wood (or they live in burrows in plant material made by other organisms). At least one common species, G. paripes, is considered a nuisance in the Southeast because of mass emergences from eutrophic ponds and lakes near human habitations."(1)

Identification to species is often difficult or impossible based on published material because there are several undescribed species. The common "Glyptotendipes lobiferus" is a species complex.

Heyn, Michael W. 1992. A review of the systematic position of the North American species of the genus Glyptotendipes. Netherlands Journal of Aquatic Ecology 26:129-137.