Midge

{{for|the species formally known as Culicoides impunctatus|Highland midge}}

{{Paraphyletic group

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| name = Midges

| image = BitingMidge.jpg

| image_caption = A biting midge feeding on blood through an artificial membrane for insect rearing

| parent = Nematocera

| includes_text = Families

| includes = See text

}}

A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some midges, such as many Phlebotominae (sand fly) and Simuliidae (black fly), are vectors of various diseases. Many others play useful roles as prey for insectivores, such as various frogs and swallows. Others are important as detritivores, and form part of various nutrient cycles. The habits of midges vary greatly from species to species, though within any particular family, midges commonly have similar ecological roles.

Examples of families that include species of midges include:{{cite book |editor1-last=Merritt |editor1-first=R. W. |editor2-last=Cummins |editor2-first=K. W. |year=1996 |title=An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America |publisher=Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company}}

Blephariceridae, net-winged midges
Cecidomyiidae, gall midges
Ceratopogonidae, biting midges (also known as no-see-ums or punkies in North America[https://bugguide.net/node/view/19768 BugGuide] and sandflies{{cite web |title=BITING MIDGES OR "SANDFLIES" IN THE NT |url=http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/3713/BitingMidge.pdf |access-date=2015-01-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122062354/http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/3713/BitingMidge.pdf |archive-date=2015-01-22}} in Australia)
Chaoboridae, phantom midges
Chironomidae, non-biting midges{{Cite web|url=https://killem.com.sg/blog/the-complete-guide-to-the-prevention-treatment-and-control-of-midges-in-singapore/|title=The Complete Guide to Midges|date=5 July 2021 |access-date=2023-06-21|language=en-UK}} (also known as muckleheads,{{Cite news|url=http://fox8.com/2018/06/04/bug-invasion-muckleheads-caught-on-radar-swarming-back-to-ne-ohio/|title=Bug invasion! Muckleheads caught on radar swarming back to NE Ohio|date=2018-06-04|work=fox8.com|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en-US}} muffleheads{{Cite news|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/06/what_are_midges_learn_all_abou.html|title=What exactly are all these pesky midges? Entertaining video on the insects that swarm Lake Erie|work=cleveland.com|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en-US}} or lake flies{{Cite news|url=https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2020/05/15/lake-winnebago-flies-things-know-annual-hatch/3118331001/|title=Why you should never smash lake flies and other facts about the annual Lake Winnebago insect hatch|work=Appleton Post Crescent|access-date=2020-07-15|language=en-US}} in the Great Lakes region of North America)
Deuterophlebiidae, mountain midges
Dixidae, meniscus midges
Scatopsidae, dung midges
Thaumaleidae, solitary midges

Examples

The Ceratopogonidae (biting midges) include serious blood-sucking pests, feeding both on humans and other mammals. Some of them spread the livestock diseases known as blue tongue and African horse sickness – other species though, are at least partly nectar feeders, and some even suck insect bodily fluids.{{cite book |last1=Weaving |first1=Alan |last2=Picker |first2=Mike |last3=Griffiths |first3=Charles Llewellyn |year=2003 |title=Field Guide to Insects of South Africa |publisher=New Holland Publishers, Ltd |isbn=1-86872-713-0}}

Many midges are known for having symbiotic relationships with many other organisms. These can be commensal, parasitic or mutualistic relationships. Many of the commensal relationships are found within the family Chironomidae.{{Cite journal |last=TOKESHI |first=MUTSUNORI |date=June 1993 |title=On the evolution of commensalism in the Chironomidae |journal=Freshwater Biology |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=481–489 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2427.1993.tb00782.x |issn=0046-5070|doi-access=free |bibcode=1993FrBio..29..481T }}

File: Ceratopogonidae midge sucking Sphodromantis blood IMG 3045ss.JPG sucking its hemolymph whilst the mantis feeds on a bee]]

Other ceratopogonid midges are major pollinators of Theobroma cacao (cocoa tree). Having natural pollinators has beneficial effects in both agricultural and biological products because it increases crop yield and also density of predators of the midges (still beneficial to all parties).{{cite journal |last1=Forbes |first1=Samantha J. |last2=Northfield |first2=Tobin D. |date=2016-12-26 |title=Increased pollinator habitat enhances cacao fruit set and predator conservation |journal=Ecological Applications |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=887–899 |issn=1051-0761 |publisher=Ecological Society of America |doi=10.1002/eap.1491 |pmid=28019052}}

The term "midge" is a vague term that refers to a large and diverse group of organisms. Although many are known as "bloodsuckers," there are many different roles that they play in their respective ecosystems. There is, for example, no objective basis for excluding the Psychodidae from the list, and some of them (or midge-like taxa commonly included in the family, such as Phlebotomus) are blood-sucking pests and disease vectors.

Most midges, apart from the gall midges (Cecidomyiidae), are aquatic during the larval stage. Some Cecidomyiidae (e.g., the Hessian fly) are considered significant pests of some plant species. The larvae of some Chironomidae contain hemoglobin and are sometimes referred to as bloodworms.{{cite book |last=Walker |first=Ian R. |editor1-last=Smol |editor1-first=J. P. |editor2-last=Birks |editor2-first=H. J. B. |editor3-last=Last |editor3-first=W. M. |year=2001 |chapter=Midges: Chironomidae and related Diptera |pages=43–66 |title=Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments |volume=4: Zoological Indicators |series= Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research |publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers |location=Dordrecht, The Netherlands |doi=10.1007/0-306-47671-1_3 |isbn=978-0-306-47671-6}}

Non-biting midge flies are commonly considered a minor nuisance around bodies of water.{{cite web |last1=Apperson |first1=Charles |author-link1=Charles S. Apperson |last2=Waldvogel |first2=Michael |last3=Bambara |first3=Stephen |year=2006 |title=Biology and Control of Non-biting Aquatic Midges |number=Insect Note ENT/rsc–15 |publisher=Department of Entomology, North Carolina Cooperative Extension |url=http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/midges.htm}}

Midge

Examples

See also

References

Further reading