Species
Mycetophilidae
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Sciaridae, Mycetophilidae (Fungus Gnats)
The small gnat-like adults occasionally visit flowers with exposed nectaries, but they are not important pollinators. The larvae feed on decaying vegetable matter, or bore holes through fungi.
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Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2015 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/flower_insects/files/flies.htm |
Slender to moderately robust flies, 2.20-13.3 mm long. Thoracic and tibial bristles often strong. Coxae long; tibiae usually with long strong apical spurs. Color varied; body usually dull yellow, brown, or black, but sometimes brightly marked; wing often conspicuously marked. (Vockeroth 1981)
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Rights holder/Author | Irina Brake, The Diptera Site |
Source | http://diptera.myspecies.info/node/9741 |
Mycetophilidae (mycetophilid larvae (undet.)) is prey of:
Platysoma lecontei
Based on studies in:
USA: North Carolina (Forest, Plant substrate)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Mycetophilidae (mycetophilid larvae (undet.)) preys on:
fungi red rot
Based on studies in:
USA: North Carolina (Forest, Plant substrate)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
This site documents the taxonomy, biology, and evolutionary history of fungus gnats - flies in the superfamily Sciaroidea. It is an expert network providing a trusted source of information and building the cybertaxonomy for this wonderful group of insects. It also provides a central location for discussions, questions and collaborative projects on Sciaroidea.
License | http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Chris Borkent, Chris Borkent |
Source | http://www.sciaroidea.info |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records:22905
Specimens with Sequences:22104
Specimens with Barcodes:21704
Species:722
Species With Barcodes:546
Public Records:8858
Public Species:173
Public BINs:851
Mycetophilidae is a family of small flies, forming the bulk of those species known as fungus gnats. There are approximately 3000 described species in 150 genera but the true number of species is undoubtedly much higher. They are generally found in the damp habitats favoured by their host fungi and sometimes form dense swarms.[1]
Adults of this family can usually be separated from other small flies by the strongly humped thorax, well-developed coxae and often spinose legs but identification within the family between genera and species generally requires close study of microscopic features such as subtle differences in wing venation, variation in chaetotaxy and genitalia. The terrestrial larvae usually feed on fungi, especially the fruiting bodies but also spores and hyphae, but some species have been recorded on mosses and liverworts. The larvae of some species, while still being associated with fungi, are at least partly predatory.
Contents
Bioluminescence[edit]
Around a dozen mycetophilid species are unique among flies in displaying bioluminescence.[2] In some species this is restricted to the larval stage but in others this feature is retained by the pupae and adults. It has been suggested that the ability to produce their own light is used by some predatory larvae as a lure for potential prey, although it also obviously makes themselves more susceptible to predation or parasitism. These are not mycetophilids sensu stricto, but belong to the family Keroplatidae.
Fossil record[edit]
Mycetophilids, including some extant genera, are well represented in amber deposits and the group appears to have been well established and diversified by the Cretaceous period at the latest.
Taxonomy[edit]
Some 800 species (including some of the bioluminescent species) have been split into a separate family by Tuomikoski in 1966, Keroplatidae. This split is not universally recognized as yet and many sources still include the keroplatid genera within Mycetophilidae. Other recent families, included here in Mycetophilidae as they are not recognized by all workers are Ditomyiidae, Lygistorrhinidae, Diadocidiidae and Rangomaramidae. The Mycetophilidae sensu lato contain about 330 described genera. These include :[1][3][4]
Gallery[edit]
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Mycetophila fungorum (De Geer, 1776)
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Neoempheria pictipennis (Haliday, 1833)
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Leia sp., male
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Sceptonia sp.
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larva (Keroplatidae)
Catalogues[edit]
- Evenhuis, N. L. 2006. Catalog of the Keroplatidae of the World (Insecta: Diptera). Bishop Museum Bulletin in Entomology 13. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1–178.Online here
References[edit]
- ^ a b Loïc Matile (1999-09-20). "10. Family Mycetophylidae". Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog — Web Version.
- ^ John M. Sivinski (1998). "Phototropism, bioluminescence and the Diptera" (PDF). Florida Entomologist (The Florida Entomologist, Vol. 81, No. 3) 81 (3): 282–292. doi:10.2307/3495919. JSTOR 3495919.
- ^ "Mycetophilidae". Fauna Europaea. 2004.
- ^ "Nomina - Diptera: M-P". Nearctica. 1998.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mycetophilidae&oldid=630280539 |