''Chironomus plumosus'', also known as the buzzer midge, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of nonbiting midge (Chironomidae) that occurs throughout areas in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

Description

Adult

Adults are pale green with brown legs and grow to . Males have feathery antennae, while females' antennae are sleek. A dark brown band is seen at the end of each abdominal segment. Adults of the

sibling species In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

''C. muratensis'' and ''C. nudiventris'' cannot be distinguished from ''C. plumosus'' based on morphological characters.

Immature

The

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e are called bloodworms because some larvae are bright red, but they can also be found in brown and almost black. When the larva pupate, they drift towards the surface, making them vulnerable to many types of fish. Other common predators include the common backswimmer (''Notonecta glauca''),

common pondskater Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, ...

(''Gerris lacustris''),

common toad The common toad, European toad, or in Anglophone parts of Europe, simply the toad (''Bufo bufo'', from Latin ''bufo'' "toad"), is a toad found throughout most of Europe (with the exception of Ireland, Iceland, parts of Scandinavia, and some List ...

(''Bufo bufo''), lesser water boatman (''Corixa punctata''),

dragonflies A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

damselflies Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies (which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Epiprocta) but are usually smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the win ...

great crested newt The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to ...

(''Triturus cristatus''), great diving beetle (''Dytiscus marginalis''),

redstart {{Hatnote, For the ship, see USS Redstart (AM-378) Redstart is a name used for a number of songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the sci ...

(''Phoenicurus phoenicurus''),

smooth newt The smooth newt, European newt, northern smooth newt or common newt (''Lissotriton vulgaris'') is a species of newt. It is widespread in Europe and parts of Asia, and has been introduced species, introduced into Australia. Individuals are brown ...

(''Triturus vulgaris''),

water scorpion Nepidae is a family of exclusively aquatic Heteropteran insects in the order Hemiptera. They are commonly called water scorpions for their superficial resemblance to scorpions, due to their raptorial forelegs and the presence of a long slender p ...

(''Nepa cinerea'') and other midges such as ''

Anatopynia plumipes ''Anatopynia'' is a genus of non-biting midges of the bloodworm family Chironomidae. Distribution and Ecology At present ''A. plumipes'' (Fries, 1823) is the only species of ''Anatopynia'' (Johanssen, 1905) known from the Palaearctic. The larvae ...

''.

Lifecycle

During the spring and summer, males create mating swarms which people can find quite a nuisance, though adults do not bite or feed. Females lay egg masses in water where the egg mass will grow and sink to the bottom. The larvae stay at the bottom in silken tubes. The larvae feed on organic material such as organic debris and algae.

References

External links

*
BioLib
{{Authority control Chironomidae Insects of the United States Diptera of North America Flies described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus