Art:

A no-see-um, or biting midge, belongs to the family Ceratopogonidae within the
order of true flies (Diptera).  According to "Aquatic Insects and Oligochaetes of
North and South Carolina" (Brigham, Brigham and Gnilka, 1982) There are over 350
species in 27 genera of ceratopogonids within the nearctic region (between the
arctic and the tropics).  Many, but not all, species, suck blood.  Interestingly,
the larvae, of these beasties are about 3 times larger than the adults.  These
larvae are visable to the naked eye and look like a swimming eyelash. I don't know
where you could find a picture, but you might get lucky on a web search for one of
the more common genera:  Bezzia, Culicoides, Dasyhelea, Forcipomyia and Palpomyia.

Cheers,
Larry Eaton
Raleigh, NC


Art Weil wrote:

> hey there;-
>         Sometimes a question straddles two or more studies. This one needs a
> bug man to explain.
>         The question: What is a "no-see-um"?
>         Are there more than one species of noseeums? Is there an entymological
> (sp.) page where one might view a noseeum up close and personal? Do they
> proliferate by season or biome?
>         The Q. Man