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Photo#16921
Dark-winged Fungus Gnat, compare Bradysia

Dark-winged Fungus Gnat, compare Bradysia
Martha's Chapel Causeway, Jordan Lake, Chatham County, North Carolina, USA
May 7, 2005
Size: circa 9 mm
There was quite a flight (hatch?) of these on a warm late spring day. This looks very similar to Lynette's photo from just a bit further south in North Carolina, and recent photos from Georgia:



Paul Beuk has suggested this is likely a Sciara. I wonder if these could be genus Bradysia? (I claim no expertise in diptera--I'm just looking at checklists.) Our local North Carolina State University Entomology Collection lists just 3 genera for this state:
Bradysia--one species, B. picea, with 42 pinned--the most common member of the family. (Bradysia was formerly in Sciara.)
Sciara, 2 species rotundipennis, sciophila, with just a couple of pinned specimens each.
Zygoneura--just 3 specimens pinned.
In addition, this Document from NCSU mentions Lycoriella spp. and Bradysia spp. being common in North Carolina.

Family is usually good enough for me in diptera, these are just some thoughts.

Ditto
I also found and photographed a bunch of these (or something similar) this past weekend, on May 8th. I don't think my males had any orange on their abdomens though.

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