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

Sponsor
The Coleopterists Society supports BugGuide.

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#600196
Zygoneura sp. - female

Zygoneura sp. - Female
Chibougamau, Nord-du-Québec County, Quebec, Canada
August 3, 2011
Size: 3 mm*
This is what is probably a fine specimen of Zygoneura sp. This ID is based on the asymmetric fork of the M vein, and on the lack of a distinct subtriangular patch of stout setae at the preapical end of the fore tibiae. As far as the last criterion goes, I reckon that this picture is highly inconclusive, and sadly, the closeups I attempted turn out way too blurry to be helpful.

Were this merry folk a male, the antennae would separate it from genus Metangela right away, but sadly, this is the lone representative of this species I have found (so far) in my samples.

Images of this individual: tag all
Zygoneura sp. - female Zygoneura sp. - female

Moved

Size
Zygoneura flavicoxa is 1 mm long. The male of Z. johannseni is 2.1 mm long with wing 1.8 mm long. I don't know how much bigger the females are in this genus. Johannsen reports that M. toxonerua is 3-4 mm long with darkened wings in the female.

A key by Rapp (1945) notes that Metangela has "claws toothed" and Zygoneura "claws not toothed."

 
Note on Zygoneura
Zygoneura flavicoxa is now the only recognized Zygoneura species in North America. See:

Mohrig, W., K. Heller, H. Hippa, P. Vilkamaa, and F. Menzel. 2013. Revision of the black fungus gnats (Diptera: Sciaridae) of North America. Studia dipterologica 19: 141–286.

I have the PDF if anyone wants to see it. Zygoneura johannseni is a junior synonym of Acuatella toxoneura (as is Metangela toxoneura).

 
Unidentifiable
My recollection of that paper is the species with asymmetric M vein are now spread among 3 genera, so this should probably go back to family level as unidentifiable.

 
Thanks for these informations
Thanks for these informations. I used a microscope and had a look at the claws. The claws at 100x do look to bear several small teeth, but I am not completely certain that these are indeed teeth or some aberration (I put the insect whole on the slide, I'm ill-equiped for dissections at such a small size). Still, at the light of what you say, given that, the size and the wings, Metangela toxoneura would then appear to be a likelier candidate.

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