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Midges
	A biting midge feeding on blood through an artificial membrane for insect rearing
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia;
Phylum:	Arthropoda;
Class:	Insecta;
Order:	Diptera;
Suborder:	Nematocera;

For other uses, see Midge (disambiguation).

Midges on a car

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 of Nematoceran Diptera. The habits of midges vary greatly among the component families, which include:^[1]

Blephariceridae, net-winged midges
Cecidomyiidae, gall midges
Ceratopogonidae, biting midges (also known as no-see-ums or punkies in North America)
Chaoboridae, phantom midges
Chironomidae, non-biting midges (also known as muffleheads in the Great Lakes region of North America)
Deuterophlebiidae, mountain midges
Dixidae, meniscus midges
Scatopsidae, dung midges
Thaumaleidae, solitary midges

[edit] Disease-spreading midges

The Ceratopogonidae (biting midges) are serious biting pests, and can spread the livestock diseases Blue Tongue and African Horse Sickness – but the other midge families are not. Most midges, apart from the gall midges (Cecidomyiidae), are aquatic during the larval stage. Some Cecidomyiidae (e.g., the sorghum midge) are important plant pests. The larvae of some Chironomidae contain haemoglobin and are sometimes referred to as bloodworms.^[2]

For further information concerning specific groups, consult their entries.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ Merritt, R.W., and Cummins, K.W. (eds.), 1996. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
^ Walker, I. R. 2001. Midges: Chironomidae and related Diptera. pp. 43-66, In: J. P. Smol, H. J. B. Birks, and W. M. Last (eds). Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments. Volume 4. Zoological Indicators. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

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[0] Merritt, R.W., and Cummins, K.W. (eds.), 1996. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.

[1] Walker, I. R. 2001. Midges: Chironomidae and related Diptera. pp. 43-66, In: J. P. Smol, H. J. B. Birks, and W. M. Last (eds). Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments. Volume 4. Zoological Indicators. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.

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