Biting midge larva (subject corrected)

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 9:47 pm

Thanks to our more knowledgeable members (below), the proper ID has been provided. This is a Diptera larva... a biting midge from the family Ceratopogonidae, and a member of the Bezzia genus. I've corrected the title to reflect this.

Long, thin and very active. The first is a darkfield shot of the head. The body segments looked as if they might be interesting in cross polarized light, and they really were. The two other shots are taken with the polarizers.

Cactusdave · Post by **Cactusdave** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 12:14 am

Lovely polarisation pictures of the muscles. Is this an insect larva, perhaps of a midge or similar?

bernhardinho · Post by **bernhardinho** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 1:03 am

Charles

it's a Bezzia sp. from the Ceratopogonidae. I'm not sure about the correct common name in English, so you guys better check out for yourselves:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratopogonidae

http://images.google.de/images?q=bezzia ... =de&tab=wi

Bernhard

Planapo · Post by **Planapo** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:22 am

Yep, I concur with Bernhard's ID.

I can report from own experience that the adult females of some Ceratopogonidae (or Heleidae as they are sometimes referred to in earlier literature), though very small in size, can bite quite painfully, and an itchy wheal will develop from the bite.

--Betty