Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events


TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData

Family Thaumaleidae - Trickle Midges

Thaumaleidae?  Thaumaleidae?  Thaumaleidae?  Thaumaleid larvae Thaumaleid larvae Thaumaleid larvae Fly - Androprosopa Trickle midge aspirated from madicolous habitat
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 Thaumaleidae (Trickle Midges)
Other Common Names
Seepage midges, madicolous midges
Explanation of Names
Thaumaleidae Bezzi 1913
Numbers
26 spp. in 2 genera in our area(1), ~200 spp. in 10 genera total(2)
Size
2-4.5 mm(1)
Identification
Adults are recognised by the few (seven) veins reaching the margin, the costa running around the entire margin, by the absence of ocelli and particularly by the short antennae which are no longer than the head(3)
Range
predominantly temperate areas of both hemispheres(3); in our area, n. US & Canada(1)
Habitat
larvae predominantly in vertical, thin water films alongside waterfalls and torrents; undersides of bridges over smaller running waters are amongst the commoner adult aggregation sites(3)
Food
larvae graze on diatoms(3)
Remarks
"Larvae are found on wet rocks, most frequently on the vertical surfaces, and always where the surface is covered with a film of water thin enough not to submerge them. The rocks are located in cold streams, usually in the shade. When larvae are disturbed, they glide rapidly over the film of water on the rock surface; they feed mostly on diatoms found on the rocks (Leathers 1922). Pupae are found in wet moss or leaves, or buried in mud. Adults fly only a short distance from the larval habitat."(4)
Internet References
Works Cited
1.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
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.Australian Faunal Directory
4.Manual of Nearctic Diptera Volume 1
Varies for each chapter; edited by J.F. McAlpine, B.V. Petersen, G.E. Shewell, H.J. Teskey, J.R. Vockeroth, D.M. Wood. 1981. Research Branch Agriculture Canada.
5.Diptera.info