Which family is commonly known as midges?

Which family is commonly known as midges?

• A. Chironomidae
• B. Muscidae
• C. Asilidae
• D. Tephritidae

Answer: (A)

Midges refer to tiny, delicate flies that are especially common around water, and the family most people mean when they say “midges” is Chironomidae. They are typically non-biting, unlike mosquitoes, and their larvae live in aquatic environments, with many having hemoglobin-like proteins that give some larvae a red color and help them cope with low-oxygen water (these larvae are often called bloodworms). Adults look slender and swarms are a familiar sight near lakes and streams, forming an important food source for many other organisms. The other families listed are not midges: Muscidae includes houseflies, which are larger and feed on decaying matter; Asilidae are robber flies, predatory with a stout body; Tephritidae are fruit flies, usually with distinctive wing patterns and associations with plants.

Midges refer to tiny, delicate flies that are especially common around water, and the family most people mean when they say “midges” is Chironomidae. They are typically non-biting, unlike mosquitoes, and their larvae live in aquatic environments, with many having hemoglobin-like proteins that give some larvae a red color and help them cope with low-oxygen water (these larvae are often called bloodworms). Adults look slender and swarms are a familiar sight near lakes and streams, forming an important food source for many other organisms.

The other families listed are not midges: Muscidae includes houseflies, which are larger and feed on decaying matter; Asilidae are robber flies, predatory with a stout body; Tephritidae are fruit flies, usually with distinctive wing patterns and associations with plants.