Description
Midge – Chironomus kirklandia
Pliocene
Rita Blanca Formation Oldham County TX USA.
Cluster of midges on 45mm slab.
Insect. Diptera.
Chironomus is a genus of non-biting midge that dates back at least to the Eocene as it is known from Middle Eocene-age Baltic amber. It belongs to the Family Chironomidae which goes back much further in time to the Triassic.
A midge is a type of fly (Order Diptera) even smaller than houseflies.