A selection of friends found recently. Unfortunately, the luna moth was probably dead. The bee was relocated off the sidewalk after I took the photo so she wouldn’t get stepped on.

A great group of pals! Glad the bee was safely relocated. As for the luna moth, adults don't live particularly long anyway, so hopefully he got to mate before perishing.

Bug of the Day

Happy Fly Day Friday!! Please enjoy the excellent wing patterning on this tiny, non-biting midge, Psectrotanypus dyari.

Non biting midge (Chironomidae) resting after a morning rain.

There’s been a lot these guys in the field (with swampy area) near where I live. Adult midges tend to not live very long, so many species form swarms of mostly males near habitat suitable for their aquatic larvae. It is thought that the males swarm to attract more females to an area.

This individual is most likely a male because of his large feathery antennae. Here’s a close-up:

Antarctic Midge (Belgica antarctica)

Family: Non-Biting Midge Family (Chironomidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

A tiny species of wingless fly, the Antarctic Midge is not only the only species of insect found in Antarctica but also the largest purely terrestrial animal on the continent, despite being only around 2-7mm (0.08-0.3 inches) in length - every larger animal is either capable of flight or semi-aquatic. Found mainly in coastal regions of the continent, this species spends most of its life in a larval form and is active only during the relatively warm spring and summer, spending the winter in hibernation underground. Antarctic Midge larvae feed on detritus, algae, mosses and large single-celled organisms and can survive in temperatures of as low as −15 °C (5°F), with temperatures above 10°C (50°F) being potentially fatal to them. At around 2 years of age the larvae develop into wingless, flightless adults that gather in enormous mating congregations during the spring and summer (similarly to the mating swarms seen in flying midge species), shortly after which females produce large clusters of eggs which they coat in a gelatinous substance secreted from their ovipositor that acts as a sort of antifreeze to prevent ice from forming, and also provides a source of nutrients for the larvae once they hatch around 40 days later. Adult Antarctic Midges typically die within just 10 days of reaching adulthood.

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Animal Advent Calendar - Day 14

Image Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/353460-Belgica-antarctica

a grass spider eating a midge

Public Bathroom bugs

Unidenitfied, order Psocodea

Microstola ammoscia

Unidentified, order Ephemeroptera

Unidentified, subfamily Chironominae

06/07/22

Some small flies

Non-biting Midge

Photo taken in Millersville, MD 04/04/2022 Photography by Nisha Wolfe

ユスリカ、Chironomidae、2月24日、愛知県

Drosera sp. (sundew) capturing a midge (Chironomidae, non-biting midges).

I used to think these were mosquitoes, but it notably lacks a proboscis.

Canon 60D

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM macro

Extension tubes

@uttotheegg submitted: Hope im doin this right lol Found this one in [removed] (not sure how specific you need, also pls remove location) wish i could have gotten a better photo before they flew off!

It does help to have at least a specific state, but either way, this fella looks like a male midge in the genus Chironomus.

Chironomidae (midge) larva and Trichoptera (caddisfly) larva

Midges - Family: Chironomidae | Species unknown

After last week’s video post showcasing these insects and their dancing formations over flowing water, this week we’ll attempt to get a closer look at them. It’s funny how the insects seem of reasonable size when you actually hold or see one, but when looking at them against the sky, one could be mistaken to thinking that it’s just birds flying in the distance. Each speck represents one Midge flying around so there’s probably 50 or so in picture 2. Those are rather small, and actually very close, but not all Midges are so tiny. Some are larger, and there is a size difference between females and males. Based on what I’ve read females are larger, but the males have plumose antennae. More than a decoration for their appearance, they (similar to Moths) use those feathered antennae to help them find a mate. Looking at the individual I’ve caught in Pictures 1 and 10, you can get a closer look at the features. Take note of the elongated body, shortened wings, feathered antennae and the positioning of the front legs. Though a bit roughed up from the capture, this hardy fellow was able to fly away after a few pictures. These are non-biting Midges, which may imply that there are biting Midges...and yes there are. Those belong to the family Ceratopogonidae and some do bite humans.

As said earlier, they are drawn to bodies of water and moist environments as those places are beneficial places for the placing of eggs. The adult Midges need to get to work quickly as they usually live for a few weeks, if that long. Depending on the specie, they may not even feed when they are adults (some take honeydew or nectar), so the timing is quite urgent. Fortunately, they can mitigate most risks with simultaneous emergence (again, it depends on the specie) and the emerge of massive swarms. While annoying for boaters, bikers and visitors of a waterfront, the sheer numbers of Midges allow more than enough to survive to ready the next generation, even if a few get caught in spider webs or eaten by other predators. They lack defenses aside from their flying prowess, and since they’re often mistaken for Mosquitoes, they can be eaten or swatted at with little thought. While similar in appearance to Mosquitoes and closely related to them, these non-biting Midges don’t have a taste for blood and have a few differences that you can use to tell them apart, all of which can be found in the first paragraph of this post. The front legs should stand out immediately, and as such both insect groups have different postures when landed. 

Pictures were taken on May 11 and 15, 2022 with a Google Pixel 4.

Tanypodinae is a subfamily of midges in the non-biting midge family (Chironomidae). подсемейство двукрылых семейства комаров-звонцов. Комары-звонцы, или комары-дергуны, или хирономиды (лат. Chironomidae) — семейство из отряда двукрылых. 7046 видов. Свое название комары получили из-за характерного звука, который возникает из-за высокой частоты взмахов крыльев (до 1000 в секунду). Взрослые особи, за редкими исключениями, не питаются, их ротовые органы недоразвиты. Личинки комаров-звонцов, некоторые из которых известны как мотыль, живут в придонном иле. Личинки питаются детритом и микроорганизмами, некоторые являются хищниками. Комары-звонцы безвредны для человека, во взрослом состоянии питаются нектаром и медвяной росой.

The larvae are generally carnivorous and their mouthparts are adapted for predation on small invertebrates (including other chironomid larvae) although 1st and 2nd instar larvae also feed on algae.

Class:Insecta

Order:Diptera

Family:Chironomidae

Subfamily:Tanypodinae

The non-biting midge subfamily Tanypodinae (Diptera: Chironomidae) is species-rich, ecologically diverse, and near-globally distributed. Within the subfamily, aspects of generic and species-level taxonomy remain poorly understood, in particular the validity of assignment of Australian and New Zealand taxa to genera erected for northern hemisphere (Holarctic) fauna.

47/22 Northcross Drive, Oteha, Auckland 0632

7PJC+M48 Auckland

-36.7183440, 174.7203140

наземные насекомые членистоногие беспозвоночные двукрылые мошки