(Meigen, 1930)
Body
Large larvae. Living larvae red. No lateral and ventral tubules (Wiederholm, 1983; Moller Pillot, 1984a).
Head
The head capsule is punctulate and dull ( magn. 50 x) with a length of 641 - 844 µm The eyes are small and relatively far apart Pol pedestre head. The gula is pale. Anterior margin of frontal apotome is straight without a subapical pit, but with anterio-lateral lobes on which the S3 is inserted. Labral sclerite 1 absent, sclerite 2 present.
Antenna
The antenna consists of 5 segments. Lauterborn organs distally on the second segment. The 3d segment is as long as the 2nd segment (19 µm; Rossaro. 1985).
Mentum
The mentum has 2 median teeth and 7 pairs of lateral teeth. The median teeth are not larger than the first lateral teeth Pol pedestre mentum. Ventromental plates are wider than the mentum.
Labrum
SI is plumose on both sides and labral lamellae a single plate with numerous distal teeth. The pecten epipharyngis with 3 small plates with distal teeth Pol pecten epiph. The premandible has three teeth.
Mandible
The mandible without a dorsal tooth, one apical tooth and 3 inner teeth Pol pedestre mandible. The pecten mandibularis is present and seta interna with plumose branches.
Differential characteristics
Two median and 7 pairs of lateral teeth on the mentum Pol g nub mentum 8, with Lauterborn organs on the second segment and shining dorsal headcapsule will separate Polypedilum from all other genera except from Parachironomus which however has a completely different mentum Parach arc mentum.
P. pedestre can be separated from the other Polypedilum by the head length > 600 µm. Also the punctulate head and the mandible without dorsal tooth is distinctive.