White-winged gnat

Bruce Williams · #1 (**permalink**) 25-02-2011, 07:39 PM

Stony Stratford, Bucks.

Quite a few of these gnats/midges along the fence today: Does the plumose antennae mean it's a male?

Help with identification appreciated as always:

Bruce

Dogghound · #2 (**permalink**) 25-02-2011, 07:44 PM

Yes it a Male, its really fresh too looking at those wings. Looks like a Chaoborid or a Chironomid midge.

Jason Green · #3 (**permalink**) 25-02-2011, 08:48 PM

Evening Bruce,

It's a Chironomidae fly. The wing duskiness had me give it a second-glance, but in Chaoboridae the scaling is restricted to margins and are also pale-bodied.

A good key at £50 (418 pages between two volumes) was published in 2007 covering almost 600 species, including 16 that have been identified since the previous key in 1978.

Take care,

Jason

Bruce Williams · #4 (**permalink**) 26-02-2011, 10:53 AM

Dan and Jason - Thank you both for your help with id and gender....and for the helpful info.

Jason - For some reason I'm totally dyslexic when it comes to following a written (even well illustrated) key. I do have quite a large number of guide books and have spend considerable time with them trying to track down an id - with total lack of success......so I think in this case my £50 will stay safely in my wallet

. Thanks for the heads-up anyway.

Bruce