Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera) » Gnats, Gall Midges, and March Flies (Bibionomorpha) » Fungus Gnats and Gall Midges (Sciaroidea) » Fungus Gnats (Mycetophilidae)
Photo#352537
Spiky Leg Fly
Copyright © 2009 Ashley Bradford

Spiky Leg Fly
Alexandria, Fairfax County, Virginia, USA
November 5, 2009
A small fly, gnat-sized, found at night.
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Ashley Bradford on 16 November, 2009 - 11:34am
Last updated 16 November, 2009 - 12:36pm

Photo tips
After getting to family, the next step in identifying Mycetophilidae involves looking at subcostal vein and ocelli -- a dorsal view of the front half may show both.
… John F. Carr, 24 January, 2010 - 9:18pm login or register to post comments

 
Good to know -
I'll keep that in mind for the next time I see one. Thank you! Though looking at this image, it would have been hard for me to get that angle on it. I might have to catch one and get it into a clear container...
… Ashley Bradford, 24 January, 2010 - 11:01pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Flies.
… Ashley Bradford, 16 November, 2009 - 12:36pm login or register to post comments

lovely shot!
i wish i could tell something of substance... maybe a mycetophilid
… v belov, 16 November, 2009 - 11:39am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks, V!
Someone on Flickr suggested it might be Cecidomyiidae?
… Ashley Bradford, 16 November, 2009 - 11:57am login or register to post comments

 
i won't pretend i have but a vaguest idea of midges...
...but yours doesn't look like a cecidomyiid to me
… v belov, 16 November, 2009 - 12:17pm login or register to post comments

 
Mycetophilidae.
Definitely Mycetophilidae as V suggested. The long spurs at the tip of each tibia are very useful to identify this family.
… Eric R. Eaton, 16 November, 2009 - 12:12pm login or register to post comments

 
Oh yes -
I actually looked in that section and I see it there. Thanks to you both! I found a picture of one I had posted to Flickr earlier this year that someone IDed as a fungus gnat, too.
… Ashley Bradford, 16 November, 2009 - 12:35pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact