Chironomus is a genus of nonbiting midges in the subfamily Chironominae of the bloodworm family, Chironomidae, containing several cryptic species that can only be distinguished by experts based on the characteristics of their giant chromosomes.

Adult Chironomus are midges with the pronotum widest in the middle and bearing a notch, the head usually bearing a pair of small tubercles above the antennal bases, the antennal flagellum of males having 11 segments, and the male genitalia has inferior volsella large and larger than superior volsella.

Larvae are red and usually have tubes on the side or bottom of the eighth abdominal segment.

This is the source of the genus name, which is derived from "cheironomos" (Greek for "one who moves the hands").

[2] The larvae of several species inhabit the profundal zone where they can reach relatively high densities.