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Chironomid Midge

Family Chironomidae

Photo by LauraMaria
Published on Project Noah
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51.8305, 0.882849

Field Notes

Description:

A very common and widespread family of flies, found near aquatic systems. The males have feathery antennae (the antennae are not those long forelegs, which I thought they were for some time!). Midge larvae are widely known as bloodworms and used in fishing. Adults are eaten by insectivorous fish and birds (like swallows or martins).

Habitat:

Aquatic systems - lakes, ponds, rivers etc.

Notes:

This is a female midge, spotted in some woodland just next to wetland

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (8)
dungeonmasterShu
Laura: Well done on the family ID... wonder if we will get a genus or species from someone. Good work.
LauraMaria
Okay did a little more digging, apparently midges can be up to 18mm big! Did not know that! This is apparently a female chironomid midge! Also means that Junior was right when he suggested Dipteran... For a while I thought it was a Hempiteran like a lacehopper!
LauraMaria
Wow, well this looks pretty similar, although it was found in the States http://bugguide.net/node/view/232412/bgpage But I remember this guy being bigger than a midge! He was probably about 15mm big. It fits though... what do you guys think?
LauraMaria
I'd thought of those too, because it made sense if I found it near wetland. But then I realised that what I thought were really long antennae are actually its front legs!! Its real antennae are super short. I'm stumped on it.
dungeonmasterShu
Order: Trichoptera (Caddisflys)? Order: Plecoptera (Stoneflys)? just guessing actually.
LauraMaria
Thanks dungeonmasterShu, I submitted it to the What's That Bug? in the hopes that they might be able to steer me in the right direction! Junior, I don't think it's a dipteran since those are true flies... this doesn't look like a fly! But yes, it was hard to get so close without disturbing him haha!
juniorhsoares
Hey Laura :) It's a Dipteran. To be so close like this you have to be very patience ;) Júnior

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Photographed
PublishedMay 8, 2011

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