Primary-consumers
Guides
Thaumaleidae
solitary midges, trickle midges, madicolous midges
Thaumaleidae is a family of small nematoceran flies in the order Diptera, closely related to Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Simuliidae. Adults are non-feeding, stocky, yellow to brown flies measuring 3–4 mm, with short antennae no longer than the head. The family comprises approximately 202 extant species in seven genera (Afrothaumalea, Androprosopa, Austrothaumalea, Neothaumalea, Niphta, Thaumalea, Trichothaumalea) plus one fossil genus. Larvae inhabit thin water films on rock surfaces alongside waterfalls and torrents, where they graze on diatoms.