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| Chaoboridae | |
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| Chaoborus pupa | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Superfamily: | Culicoidea |
| Family: | Chaoboridae Edwards, 1932 |
| Subfamilies | |
Chaoboridae, commonly known asphantom midges orglassworms, is a family of fairly common midges with acosmopolitan distribution. They are closely related to theCorethrellidae andChironomidae; the adults are differentiated through peculiarities in wing venation.
If they eat at all, the adults feed on nectar. The larvae are aquatic and unique in their feeding method: the antennae of phantom midge larvae are modified into grasping organs slightly resembling the raptorial arms of amantis, with which they capture prey. They feed largely on small insects such asmosquito larvae and crustaceans such asDaphnia. The antennae impale or crush the prey, and then bring it to the larval mouth, or stylet.
The larvae swim and sometimes form large swarms in theirlacustrine habitats.
The larvae are nearlytransparent, sometimes with a slightly yellow cast; their most opaque features are two air bags, one in the thorax, one in the abdomen about in the second last segment. The adults are delicate flies that closely resembleChironomidae. Their antennae are 15-segmented and the females' antennae are somewhat bristly; the males' antennae, in contrast, are very plumose. In this respect, too, they resemble many of theNematocera, and in particular the Chironomidae. The species vary in size from about 2 mm to 10 mm long in their adult stages.
There are about 90 species in the family Chaoboridae in about 17extant and 11 extinctgenera.[1][2]
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