Amber Worm Collection (VII) Diptera pychiculidae

Chironomidae

Characteristics of modern insects:

1 body length 1 ~ 10 mm.

2 mouthpiece degeneration;

3 female mosquito antennae filamentous, with short hairs, male mosquito antennae ring hairy;

4 No single eye; The mid-thorax shield has a longitudinal groove;

5 wings are narrow and long, without scales,

6The front foot is the longest, and it is often lifted upwards at rest, and it does not stop swinging.

Larval body elongation; Some species of blood contain hemoglobin and are red, so they are called blood-worms; 1 pair of pseudopods each on the forebrahorax and the 9th abdominal segment; There are usually 2 pairs of tracheal gills around the anus.

Adult insects often have the habit of marriage and flight after feathering, most of them do not eat, and often fly in groups near water bodies in the evening, and the phototropism is very strong. Most of the larvae inhabit aquatic habitats and live in nests consisting of salivary secretions adhering to sand grains or plant detritus; A small terrestrial habitat, it lives in a shady and moist environment rich in organic matter. Larvae of aquatic species often twist their bodies to swim on the ice. Common species: Chironomus plumosus (L. plumosus) and the rice shaker Chironomus oryzae Matsumura.

Paleontology