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Chironomidae larva, about 1 cm long, the head is right: The magnified tail details are from other images of the same animal. Chironomid "bloodworm" larva showing the characteristic red color, about 40× magnification: The head is towards the upper left, just out of view.
Chironomus zealandicus, commonly known as the New Zealand midge, common midge, or non-biting midge, is an insect of the Chironomidae family that is endemic to New Zealand. The worm-like larvae are known to fisherman and have a common name of blood worm due to their red color and elongated blood gills .
Eggs are laid in or near the water. [3] Larvae are red due to a large amount of haemoglobin in their blood, which leads to their common name of blood worms. [3] [4] The larvae use this haemoglobin as an oxygen store, allowing them to survive in low oxygen conditions such as at the bottom of a lake or in areas with high organic pollution. [4]
A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some midges, such as many Phlebotominae (sand fly) and Simuliidae (black fly), are vectors of various diseases.
The larvae are called bloodworms because some larvae are bright red, but they can also be found in brown and almost black. When the larva pupate, they drift towards the surface, making them vulnerable to many types of fish. [2]
Midge larvae are commonly called bloodworms, because of their red color from the hemoglobin molecules inside their long, thin, cylindrical bodies. The body is usually curved and has segments and a distinctly separated head, which is typically of a darker color than the rest of the body. [ 5 ]
Chironomus is a genus of nonbiting midges in the subfamily Chironominae of the bloodworm family, Chironomidae, containing several cryptic species that can only be distinguished by experts based on the characteristics of their giant chromosomes.
Larvae with red or orange hues are characteristic of D. mali, though differentiation from other species can be challenging, as larvae may also exhibit a yellow or white colour. [6] To identify D. mali larvae, the length of setose papillae on the first thoracic segment and the shape of the sternal spatula are measured. [ 4 ]