Insects
True flies (Diptera)
Crane flies, midges, mosquitoes & gnats (several families)
Sighting 4400837

Chironomidae (family)

1 Non-biting Midge at Coal Point, NSW

Chironomidae (family) at Coal Point, NSW - 19 Oct 2021 04:01 PM
Chironomidae (family) at Coal Point, NSW - 19 Oct 2021 04:01 PM
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Identification history

Chironomidae (family) 21 Oct 2021 MichaelBedingfield
Unverified 20 Oct 2021 chris@deere.net.au

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User's notes

Larvae found in stagnant water tank

2 comments

AaronClausen wrote:
   20 Oct 2021
Hi @michaelb - any idea what this is and/or who can help identify it?
AaronClausen wrote:
   20 Oct 2021
From Michael Mulvaney:

They are called Bloodworms. Bloodworms are one stage in the life cycle of the non-biting Midge fly. The red colour comes from haemoglobin in the Midge fly’s blood and has no reference to any blood sucking activity. They are herbivorous and feed on algae and other plants or waste material – therefore harmless to people or your animals.
Many fish keepers buy bloodworms as a protein rich food for their fish.

The non-biting Midge looks like a mosquito, but doesn’t bite. Midges live near water and are found in streams, rivers, ditches, lakes and ponds – and stagnant water tanks. The midge develops in a life cycle that includes four stages: egg, larvae (bloodworm), pupae and adult. The larvae stage lasts between 2 to 7 weeks.

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