"[8] However, they are not mosquitoes of any sort, and the term "sandflies" generally refers to various species of biting flies unrelated to the Chironomidae.

Polytene chromosomes were originally observed in the larval salivary glands of Chironomus midges by Balbiani in 1881.

They form through repeated rounds of DNA replication without cell division, resulting in characteristic light and dark banding patterns which can be used to identify inversions and deletions which allow species identification.

Alternatively, DNA barcoding is able to distinguish most species in many taxonomic groups using divergence patterns of commonly-studied gene regions.

Many reference sources in the past century or so have repeated the assertion that the chironomidae do not feed as adults, but an increasing body of evidence contradicts this view.

The natural foods reported include fresh fly droppings, nectar, pollen, honeydew, and various sugar-rich materials.

Generally, Males expend the extra energy on flight, while females use their food resources to achieve longer lifespans.

Chironomids that feed on nectar or pollen may well be of importance as pollinators, but current evidence on such points is largely anecdotal.

They may cause difficulty during driving if they collide with the windshield, creating an opaque coating which obscures the driver's vision.

They are found in high abundances in many of the habitats they live in, and represent important food sources for a variety of organisms.

They are found in wide variety of habitats, from the glaciated areas of the tallest mountains, to the deepest bodies of freshwater.

Aquatic habitats can be marine or freshwater, the latter including treeholes, bromeliads, interstitial and benthic zones, as well as man-made sewage and artificial containers.

Many species of chironomids are found residing in sediments or benthic levels of water bodies, where Dissolved oxygen is very low.

Midges of the genus Clunio are found in the intertidal zone, where they have adjusted their entire life cycle to the rhythm of the tides.

[24] Larvae and pupae are important food items for fish, such as trout, banded killifish, and sticklebacks, and for many other aquatic organisms as well such as newts.

Additionally, predatory water beetles in families such as the Dytiscidae and Hydrophilidae have been found to feed on larval chironomids.

Chironomids have been reported to compete with ciliated protozoan Ephemera danica, although this competition has resulted in niche-partitioning on the hosts body.

It has been suggested that this may be due to an influx of vegetative debris and detritus that characterizes a rainy season in aquatic environments, which would cause an increase in associated taxa, such as Ephemeroptera.

A Japanese species of chironomid, Tokunagayusurika akasumi, have adapted to aestivation in sediments below their habitats in the event of high temperatures.

It is hypothesized that this overwintering difference in behavior occurs when temperature are at their lowest, and perhaps has to do with the presence of ice cover in the habitat.

Anhydrobiotic larvae of the African chironomid Polypedilum vanderplanki can withstand prolonged complete desiccation (reviewed by Cornette and Kikawada[30]).

[31] The Rad51 protein plays a key role in homologous recombination, a process required for the accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks.

Many species of chironomids have adapted high tolerances to desiccation, particularly those inhabiting temporary aquatic habitats or places where droughts frequently occur.

This same species is able to withstand this pause in development for an extended period of time, with records of it surviving up to 17 years completely dehydrated.

[2] The family is divided into 11 subfamilies: Aphroteniinae, Buchonomyiinae, Chilenomyinae, Chironominae, Diamesinae, Orthocladiinae, Podonominae, Prodiamesinae, Tanypodinae, Telmatogetoninae, and Usambaromyiinae.