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

Family Ditomyiidae

6007713 Sciarid or Cecidomyid? - Symmerus - female Ditomyiidae - wing - Symmerus lautus - male Ditomyiidae - lateral - Symmerus vockerothi - male Ditomyiidae - terminalia - Symmerus vockerothi - male 6007714 - Symmerus Diptera. Chironomidae? - Symmerus Found these today on a hardwood log, Guemes Island WA - Symmerus Found these today on a hardwood log, Guemes Island WA - Symmerus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera))
Infraorder Bibionomorpha (Gnats, Gall Midges, and March Flies)
Superfamily Sciaroidea (Fungus Gnats and Gall Midges)
Family Ditomyiidae
Explanation of Names
Ditomyiidae Keilin 1919
Numbers
6 spp. in 2 genera in our area(1)(2), ~100 spp. in 8 genera total(3)
Identification
Distinguished from other fungus gnats by wing ventation: M-Cu crossvein present and R4 at least half as long as R5; SC short and ending free.
Range
all major zoogeographical regions exception Afrotropical; in our area, more diverse in the east, with only the subgenus Symmerus (Psilosymmerus) represented in the west(2)
Habitat
Symmerus larvae were reported from rotting logs of dead wood; those of Ditomyia, from Polyporus fungi(4)
Internet References
(5)