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Midge (insect)

 
Midge (insect)

 
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Midge (insect)
 
 
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Midges comprise many kinds of very small two-winged flies. The term does not encapsulate a well-defined taxonomic group, but includes animals in several families
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 of Nematoceran
Nematocera

Nematocera are generally primitive fly, typically recognized by filamentous, multi-segmented antenna which may be plumose in some males. Nematocera is a paraphyletic suborder, because one of its constituent families is apparently the sister taxon to the entire suborder Brachycera; an alternative classification has been proposed in which the...
 Diptera. The habits of midges vary greatly among the component families, which include:



While the Ceratopogonidae
Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogonidae, or biting midges , are a family of small flies in the order Diptera. They are closely related to the Chironomidae, Simuliidae , and Thaumaleidae....
 (biting midges) are serious biting pests, and can spread the livestock diseases Blue Tongue
Blue tongue

Blue Tongue may refer to :* Blue-tongued skink* Bluetongue disease* Blue Tongue Entertainment - an Australian video game developer...
 and African Horse Sickness
African Horse sickness

African horse sickness is a highly infectious, and deadly disease. It commonly affects horses, mules, donkeys and zebras. It is caused by a virus of the genus Orbivirus belonging to the family Reoviridae....
, the other midge families are not.






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Midgesinvadingtoyotacorolla
Midges comprise many kinds of very small two-winged flies. The term does not encapsulate a well-defined taxonomic group, but includes animals in several families
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 of Nematoceran
Nematocera

Nematocera are generally primitive fly, typically recognized by filamentous, multi-segmented antenna which may be plumose in some males. Nematocera is a paraphyletic suborder, because one of its constituent families is apparently the sister taxon to the entire suborder Brachycera; an alternative classification has been proposed in which the...
 Diptera. The habits of midges vary greatly among the component families, which include:

  • Blephariceridae
    Blephariceridae

    Blephariceridae, commonly known as Net-winged midges, are a nematocera family in the order Diptera. The adults resemble tipulidae except with a projecting anal angle in the wings, and different head shape, absence of the V on the mesonotum, and more laterally outstretched forward facing legs....
    , net-winged midges
  • Cecidomyiidae
    Cecidomyiidae

    Cecidomyiidae is a family of flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls....
    , gall midges
  • Ceratopogonidae
    Ceratopogonidae

    Ceratopogonidae, or biting midges , are a family of small flies in the order Diptera. They are closely related to the Chironomidae, Simuliidae , and Thaumaleidae....
    , biting midges (also known as no-see-ums or punkies in North America
    North America

    North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
    )
  • Chaoboridae
    Chaoboridae

    Chaoboridae, commonly known as phantom midges, are a family of fairly common midges with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are closely related to Corethrellidae and Chironomidae; the adults are differentiated through peculiarities in wing venation....
    , phantom midges
  • Chironomidae
    Chironomidae

    Chironomidae are a family of nematoceran Fly with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae....
    , non-biting midges
  • Deuterophlebiidae
    Deuterophlebiidae

    Deuterophlebiidae or mountain midges are a small monotypic family of nematoceran Diptera. Adults have broad, fan-shaped insect wing, and males have extremely long antennae which they employ when contesting territories over running water, waiting for females to hatch....
    , mountain midges
  • Dixidae
    Dixidae

    The Dixidae are a family of aquatic insect nematoceran Diptera. The larvae live in unpolluted, standing fresh waters, just beneath the surface film, usually amongst marginal aquatic vegetation ....
    , meniscus midges
  • Scatopsidae
    Scatopsidae

    The minute black scavenger flies or "dung midges", Scatopsidae, is a family of Nematoceran fly. Despite being distributed throughout the world, it is quite a small family with only around 250 described species in 27 genera although many await description and doubtless even more await discovery....
    , dung midges
  • Thaumaleidae
    Thaumaleidae

    Thaumaleidae, the solitary midges or trickle midges, are a group of nematoceran Diptera related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and the Simuliidae....
    , solitary midges


While the Ceratopogonidae
Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogonidae, or biting midges , are a family of small flies in the order Diptera. They are closely related to the Chironomidae, Simuliidae , and Thaumaleidae....
 (biting midges) are serious biting pests, and can spread the livestock diseases Blue Tongue
Blue tongue

Blue Tongue may refer to :* Blue-tongued skink* Bluetongue disease* Blue Tongue Entertainment - an Australian video game developer...
 and African Horse Sickness
African Horse sickness

African horse sickness is a highly infectious, and deadly disease. It commonly affects horses, mules, donkeys and zebras. It is caused by a virus of the genus Orbivirus belonging to the family Reoviridae....
, the other midge families are not. Most midges, apart from the gall midges (Cecidomyiidae
Cecidomyiidae

Cecidomyiidae is a family of flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls....
), are aquatic during the larval stage. Some Cecidomyiidae
Cecidomyiidae

Cecidomyiidae is a family of flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls....
 (e.g., the sorghum midge) are important plant pests. The larvae of some Chironomidae
Chironomidae

Chironomidae are a family of nematoceran Fly with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae....
 contain haemoglobin and are sometimes referred to as bloodworms.

For further information concerning specific groups, consult their entries.

See also


Gnat
Gnat

Gnat is a colloquial name for many small insects in the order Diptera and specifically within the suborder Nematocera.The males often assemble together in large mating swarms, particularly at dusk, called a "ghost"....


Mosquito
Mosquito

Mosquitoes are common flying insects in the family Culicidae that are found around the world. There are about 3,500 species. They have a pair of scaled wings, a pair of halteres, a slender body, and six long legs....