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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera) » Bibionomorpha » Fungus Gnats (Mycetophilidae)

Family Mycetophilidae - Fungus Gnats

Classification · Numbers · Identification · Habitat · Food · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Small, but interesting Fly Fungus Gnat sexually dimorphic Diptera - maybe a midge? sexually dimorphic Diptera - maybe a midge? Mycetophagid or Keroplatid? Which flying insect, please? What is this??? Is it a fly unknown fly
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera))
Infraorder Bibionomorpha
Family Mycetophilidae (Fungus Gnats)
Numbers
Over 600 species according to (1), but Keroplatinae is considered as a subfamily of Mycetophilidae in this account rather than a separate family, Keroplatidae.
Identification
"Small, slender to moderately robust flies. Many species are about the same size as a mosquito, but they have simple antennae and a humped thorax that hides the head from above. They have long legs, and stong bristles on the thorax and tibia." From Canadian Biodiversity website.
Habitat
Adults are found in damp places and do not live very long.
Food
"Many species feed at flowers. The larvae feed on decaying vegetation and fungi, and a few are predaceous. Because they feed on fungi some species are pests on mushroom farms." From Canadian Biodiversity website.
Print References
(1)
Internet References
Canada's Biodiversity
Ohio State University Fact Sheet
UC Davis
Virginia Tech.
Works Cited
1.Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects
By Norman F. Johnson, Charles A. Triplehorn
Contributed by Joel Kits on 11 March, 2005 - 9:41pm
Additional contributions by Stephen Cresswell, Beatriz Moisset
Last updated 23 January, 2008 - 6:53pm

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