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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera) » Mosquitoes and Midges (Culicomorpha) » Phantom Midges (Chaoboridae)

Family Chaoboridae - Phantom Midges

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Works Cited
Phantom Midge - Chaoborus punctipennis - female Dipteran - Chaoborus - female Chaoborus subgenus Sayomyia? - Chaoborus punctipennis - female Chaoborus albatus? - Chaoborus albatus - male Pale female midge with spotted wings - Chaoborus astictopus - female phantom midge larva - Chaoborus Ceratopogonidae - Chaoborus astictopus - female Fly - Chaoborus punctipennis - female
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 Chaoboridae (Phantom Midges)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Sometimes treated as part of Culicidae(1)
Explanation of Names
Chaoboridae Newman 1834
"Phantom" refers to the transparent aquatic larvae(2)
Numbers
19 spp. in 5 genera in our area(2), ~90 spp. in 33 genera total(3)
Size
1.5-10 mm
Identification
Resemble mosquitoes but lack a prominent proboscis. Other characters:
body and wing veins with elongated setae, not flat scales (mosquitoes have prominent scales); or perhaps a few scales along margin of wing(2)
lack ocelli
antenna setae in distinct whorls(2)
Food
Larvae predatory, adults of most species (perhaps) do not feed. Adults of a few exotic spp. are said to take blood(1)
Life Cycle
Larvae are filter feeders or predators (using modified prehensile antennae) in shallow stagnant waters. Larvae of Chaoborus, at least, are nearly transparent and planktonic (living in water column), not associated with a substrate like most fly larvae(4). Mochlonyx larva:
See Also
Chironomidae, Culicidae
Print References
Cook E.F. (1956). The Nearctic Chaoborinae (Diptera: Culicidae). Technical Bulletin of the Agriculture Experiment Station, University of Minnesota 218: 1-102.
Saether O.A. (1970) Nearctic and Palearctic Chaoborus (Diptera: Chaoborida). Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 174: 1-57 (Full text)
Works Cited
1.A Dictionary of Entomology
George Gordh, David H. Headrick. 2003. CABI Publishing.
2.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
3.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.
4.Insects: Their Natural History And Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America
Stephen A. Marshall. 2006. Firefly Books Ltd.
Contributed by tom murray on 19 January, 2006 - 1:47pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Aaron Schusteff, Vox Sciurorum, v belov
Last updated 27 August, 2021 - 5:54am

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