Fungus Gnat - Bolitophila

Thank you Dr. Vladimir Blagoderov

Moved from Fungus Gnats.

… tom murray, 16 May, 2007 - 9:51pm

Bolitophila sp.

… Vladimir Blagoderov, 16 May, 2007 - 11:16am

Predatory Fungus Gnat

This is a keroplatid, not a mycetophilid. they are predatory fungus gnats.

… Neal Evenhuis, 29 April, 2007 - 3:07am

id question

What makes this a keroplatid? Don't they have short, broader antennae? Thanks for your help.

… tom murray, 29 April, 2007 - 6:47am

Tom,

I can see your desire to know the characters used to separate Keroplatidae (predatory fungus gnats) and Mycetophilidae (fungus gnats). Keroplatidae was one of the subfamilies within Mycetophpilidae and the characters to separate them partially based on the presence or absence and location of the crossveins bm-cu and r-m, which are not easily visible on your image. The family Keroplatidae to Mycetophilidae is just like what we have talked once before the family Limoniidae to Tipulidae (crane flies) and the family Hybotidae to Empididae (dance flies); the more people start to look into their relationships, the different point of view will be evolved.

Some folk group insects with similarity and others group insects with uniqueness or difference, thus at times you will see family either split up or lump together. Just keep in mind that these are all artificial method to organize insects for our convenience, so there is no right way or wrong way but a different way, unless, of course if we got it straight out of the bug’s mouth.

Once you know how to separate Mycetophilidae from other nematocera, you are already 95% there, leave it where it is and it will eventually migrate to its proper placement if needed. - Chen

… Chen Young, 30 April, 2007 - 9:38am

Thanks Chen

Leaving it where it is sounds good to me. Photos don't always show enough to get a positive id, and even when they do, the taxonomy might be a mess.

… tom murray, 30 April, 2007 - 6:25pm

Moved

Chen, thanks for the id. Of all the insect orders, I think Diptera give me the most problems identifying.

… tom murray, 23 October, 2006 - 7:22pm

Fungus gnat, Mycetophilidae

This fly has the appearance of a winter crane fly, however its wing venation does not fit the character of Trichoceridae. See this image

for the wing venation of winter crane fly. My guess of this fly would be a Mycetophilidae, although it does not have the strong tibia spur one would see in typical fungus gnat. However there are several group of fungus gnat that has slender antennae and less pronounced spur. See this image

for comparison. A lateral view to show the leg coxa segements in your image would have solved the puzzle.

… Chen Young, 23 October, 2006 - 10:16am

Thank you!

I agree, and as always, appreciate the chance to learn something new!

… Steve Pelikan, 23 October, 2006 - 7:04pm

Perhaps

a "winter crane fly" family Trichoceridae?

… Steve Pelikan, 21 October, 2006 - 12:37pm

Looks right

I think you're right. Thanks for the help.

… tom murray, 21 October, 2006 - 6:20pm