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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) » Diamesinae » Snow Midges (Diamesa)
Photo#494662
Midge - Diamesa - female
Copyright © 2011 tom murray

Midge - Diamesa - Female
Groton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
March 2, 2011
Size: 7mm
I found 2 of these large midges on the snow surface at the edge of a small brook.

Images of this individual: tag all
Midge - Diamesa - female Midge - Diamesa - female
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Contributed by tom murray on 2 March, 2011 - 5:22pm

Moved
Moved from Midges. Most of the winter midges you find with swollen fourth tarsomeres will be Diamesa. Enlarged T4 is uncommon but widespread among midge species; it is associated with walking a lot instead of flying.
… John F. Carr, 2 March, 2011 - 6:00pm login or register to post comments

 
Diamesa sp.
John, thanks for the id. I checked the UNH site and in this subfamily they've only recorded Pagastia sp and Pseudodiamesa brancikii. So I'll save these for Don to add to the UNH collection and see if he can figure out what species this is.
… tom murray, 2 March, 2011 - 6:19pm login or register to post comments

 
Send males if possible
Species ID is difficult or impossible for females. Even the genus ID isn't totally certain because the key is designed for males. Do you have a closeup of the pronotum?

Where the pronotum protrudes forward with a notch in the middle here

it should be smooth (not notched) in Diamesa. Glyptotendipes has a very broad notch, not the shallow notch of Chironomus.
… John F. Carr, 2 March, 2011 - 6:49pm login or register to post comments

 
One close up added
Not sure if this extra shot shows enough, but it's all I have. The midges are already in the alcohol.
… tom murray, 2 March, 2011 - 7:21pm login or register to post comments

 
No frontal shot
I can try blowing up the shot I already posted if that helps. Hopefully I can find a male one of these times.
… tom murray, 2 March, 2011 - 7:12pm login or register to post comments

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