====== Chaoboridae - Phantom-midges ======
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===== Classification =====
NEMATOCERA, Culicomorpha, Culicoidea

**Number of British species:** 6

**Size:** [[families:size|S]]

**Difficulty:** [[families:difficulty|1-3]]

===== Characters =====
Small to medium sized (2-10 mm), delicate, pale yellow, brown or grey Nematocera, resembling mosquitoes (Culicidae). Antennae, wings, legs and abdomen long and slender. Ocelli absent; antenna always with 15 segments, plumose in the male; mouthparts protruding but much less than in mosquitoes. Upper part of thorax with few to many bristles but with 2 pairs of bare stripes. Wing narrow; venation as in Culicidae.
===== Biology =====
Larvae with a remarkably transparent body, especially in //Chaoborus//, giving rise to the name of phantom larvae. They are aquatic and prey on small invertebrates. The larvae of //Mochlonyx// occur in temporary puddles, those of //Chaoborus// and //Mochlonyx// in various permanent standing waters (lakes, ponds, swamps, peat bogs, etc.). The adults are largely found near the larval habitats and often fly in swarms.
===== Identification =====
[[refs:c:coe_et_al_1950|Coe et al. (1950)]]