Pilbara Biodiversity Project Ceratopogonidae msp. pilb-09 Click to enlarge image
CBCR Pilbara Biodiversity Project Coleoptera voucher specimens. Biting Midges. Image: Scott Ginn
© Australian Museum

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Family
    Ceratopogonidae
    Order
    Diptera
    Class
    Insecta
    Subphylum
    Uniramia
    Phylum
    Arthopoda
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    0.5 mm

Introduction

So tiny that they often go unobserved, biting midges are the smallest of the blood-sucking flies.

Habitat

Biting midges live around freshwater creeks, intertidal estuaries and mangroves.

Distribution

Biting midges are found throughout Australia.



Feeding and diet

As with mosquitoes and most biting flies, it is only the females that bite as they need blood to produce the next generation. The males feed on nectar. Victims are usually unaware of the fly's presence until it has already started to feed.