Family Sciaridae - Dark-winged Fungus Gnats

Mushroom Flies (Lycoriella)

Black fungus gnats

Lovebugs -- because of their amorous antics(1)

Formerly treated a subfamily in Mycetophilidae

Sciaridae Billberg 1820

~170 spp. in 25 genera in our area(2), close to 2500 spp. in 92 genera total(3)

1-11 mm(4), usually under 5 mm

Small dark flies. Typical wing venation:

The larvae are white, slender, legless, with a black head and smooth semi-transparent skin revealing digestive tract contents.

Identification of adults at the species level is based primarily upon males which must be cleared with NaOH or KOH and mounted on slides. There is currently (2014) no way for a non-expert to identify most specimens even to genus.

worldwide(5) and throughout NA(4)

Mostly forests, swamps, and moist meadows (adults in foliage, larvae on fungi, decaying vegetation, plant roots, rotten wood, under bark, etc.); some live in extreme habitats (antarctic islands, mountains above 4,000 m, deserts); several spp. live exclusively in caves. Often found in flowerpots. In moist and shadowy areas up to 70% of all Diptera species can be Sciaridae.(5)

The larvae don't wander too far from their birthplace and they form family gatherings underground.(1)

1. Larva. 2 and 3. Pupae. 4 and 5. Wingless adult females. 6. Winged female. 7. Adult male.

Sometimes abundant enough to form a crawling mass of several inches across and several feet long, similar to armyworm migrations(4). Can be pests in greenhouses and in commercially grown mushrooms.(4)(5)

Adults emerge in unision from their larval homes in the soil and form large swarms, where mating is the first priority.(1)

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