“Non-Biting Midges, Midges”
Genus Overview
There are more than 20 species of Chironomus. The genus is known commonly as blood worms in the aquarium trade and species are used as fish food. They get the name from their bright red color, produced by a type of hemoglobin-like protein.
Characteristics
POLLUTION TOLERANCE
Southeast: 9.8 and higher
Upper Midwest: 10 and higher
Midwest: 8.1 and higher
Mid-Atlantic: 10 and higher
0 = least tolerant, 10 = most tolerant
FEEDING HABITS
Collector / Filterer
Collector / Gatherer
Shredder / Herbivore
Collector / Gatherer
Shredder / Herbivore
MOVEMENT
Burrower
DISTRIBUTION
Widespread (east of the Rocky Mtns.)
HABITAT
Lentic-littoral
Lentic-profundal
Lotic-depositional
Lentic-profundal
Lotic-depositional
Diagnostic Characters
iNaturalist is an online social network and crowdsourced species identification platform
No iNaturalist images found.
