# Chaoborus punctipennis

*Chaoborus punctipennis*

Their larvae are almost entirely transparent and use two pairs of internal air sacs as swim bladders to adjust their buoyancy like miniature submarines.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Diptera › Chaoboridae › Chaoborus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** aquatic
- **Habitat:** Lakes, ponds, and eutrophic pools, particularly those with stratified water columns and low-oxygen benthic zones.
- **Diet:** Larvae are carnivorous, preying on zooplankton like Daphnia and copepods; adults rarely feed, occasionally taking nectar.
- **Range:** North America, Europe
- **Size:** Larvae: 8-12 mm, Adults: 4-6 mm
- **Lifespan:** Under 1 year (larval stage lasts several months; adults live only 3 to 10 days)
- **Active:** crepuscular
- **Threats:** Water pollution, chemical runoff, lake acidification, and over-stocking of predatory fish.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. Adults may swarm near lights at night but lack biting mouthparts and do not sting. No safety precautions are necessary. If they land on you, simply brush them away gently.

## About

Chaoborus punctipennis is a species of phantom midges (flies in the family Chaoboridae).

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/109bac74-0875-4041-ba37-6c21d6f6992b
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/294394
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaoborus punctipennis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/10262443/medium.jpg (Katja Schulz, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.