A genus of non-biting midges (flies) belonging to the family Chironomidae, commonly called bloodworms when in aquatic larval form.
From Greek 'cheir' (hand) + 'nomos' (law), referring to the hand-like arrangement of mouth parts and antennae. Linnaeus named it in the 18th century.
Chironomus larvae are so useful for genetic research that scientists have studied them for a century—their giant chromosomes were among the first to reveal how genes work!
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