Ceratopogonids (Diptera) Movies

Ceratopogonid Video No. 1 - A close-up view of a biting midge larva as it travels across the microscope field; under under darkfield illumination at a magnification of 200x with a playing time of 5.8 seconds. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 28.8k (modem), 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL, or download this video clip in MPEG format (2.42 MB).

Ceratopogonid Video No. 2 - A biting midge larva snakes its way across the microscope field; under darkfield illumination at a magnification of 200x with a playing time of 12.7 seconds. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 28.8k (modem), 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL, or download this video clip in MPEG format (5.3 MB).

Biting midges, also called sand flies, no-see-ums, and punkies, are the smallest of the biting flies. They are well known for their painful bites to humans and animals, but some species bite only other insects. As adults, they can be found living in moist soil, rotting wood, cow dung, salt marshes, tree holes, and cacti. As larvae, they live in the water where they feed on detritus, yeast, or algae. One genus of ceratatoponigid, Forcipomyia, holds the world record for wing beat frequency in insects -- 1046 Hertz (cycles per second) or 62,760 wing beats per minute.