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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) » Chironominae » Chironomini » Chironomus group » Chironomus » subgenus Chironomus (Chironomus subgenus Chironomus) » Chironomus plumosus

Species Chironomus plumosus

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Range · Habitat · Season · Remarks · Print References · Internet References

Midge in a corner - Chironomus plumosus - male

Chironomus plumosus? - Chironomus plumosus - male

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)

Subfamily Chironominae

Tribe Chironomini

No Taxon (Chironomus group)

Genus Chironomus

No Taxon (subgenus Chironomus)

Species plumosus (Chironomus plumosus)

Other Common Names

Occasionally called "Lake Midge"

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Tipula plumosa Linnaeus 1758

Tendipes plumosus Meigen 1800 (suppressed)

Chironomus plumosus Meigen 1803

Explanation of Names

Most likely named after the hairy antennae of the male

Numbers

C. plumosus belongs to a complex of at least 11 very similar species, most of which do not occur in North America

Size

Wing length typically 5.9 mm, occasionally as long as 7.5 mm. Male body length typically 10, occasionally as long as 13 mm. This is the largest member of the family.

Range

Holarctic; more common in north

Habitat

Large lakes.

Season

Spring to fall

Remarks

Type species of Chironomus.

These flies received wide publicity in 2007 when the Lake Erie population swarmed an important baseball game in Cleveland (see reference below).

Print References

Butler, Malcolm G. et al. 1999. Cytogenetic differentiation between Palearctic and Nearctic populations of Chironomus plumosus L. (Diptera, Chironomidae). Genome 42(5):797-815, 10.1139/g99-014 (NRC press)

Internet References

"Midges rise from Lake Erie and buzz Yankees, helping Cleveland Indians win", Cleveland Plain Dealer, Oct. 5, 2007

Contributed by John F. Carr on 26 May, 2010 - 7:46pm
Last updated 4 January, 2012 - 11:41am

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