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| Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Diptera |
Fungivoridae; including Sciophilinae
Fungus-gnats.
Adult insects. Slender-bodied; stilt-legged. Antennae 8–16 segmented; long and threadlike; ‘simple’ (long, threadlike); not aristate. Ocelli present; 3 (the laterals usually distant from the eye margins in Sciophilinae, touching them in Mycetophilinae). Eyes rounded, well separated. The maxillary palps 3–5 segmented; drooping. Wing veins reaching the margin 9–11(–13) (? - at least 9, with vein 2 absent). Wings without a discal cell; without a sub-apical cell; without a closed anal cell. The costa not extending around the entire wing. Sub-costa apparent; reaching the costa independently of vein 1 (?), or terminating blind (e.g., Mycetophila). The leading edge veins markedly stronger than the rest. Wing vein 7 present; reaching the wing margin. Media and cubitus veins not connected by a cross-vein or a fusion. Wings with the lower calypter much reduced or absent; patterned, or unpatterned. Tibiae spurred (with a pair of apical spurs on all tibiae). Feet without a triple pad. Abdomen constricted basally.
Larvae and pupae. The larvae terrestrial; mostly mycophagous (either inside the fruiting bodies, or externally in webs or mucilaginous tubes); eucephalic. The pupae without a puparium.
Comments. Delicate, humped-backed flies. Head overhung by the humped thorax. Anterior wing venation heavier than posterior. Males sometimes congregating in dancing swarms.
Classification. Suborder Nematocera; Division Bibionomorpha; Superfamily Sciaroidea.
British representation. 452 species in Britain. Genera 57; Acnemia, Alloctocera, Allodia, Allodiopsis, Anaclileia, Anatella, Apolephthisa, Azana, Boletina, Brachypeza, Brevicornu, Clastobasis, Coelophthinia, Coelosia, Cordyla, Docosia, Dynatosoma, Dziedzickia, Ectrepesthoneura, Epicypta, Eudicrana, Exechia, Exechiopsis, Gnoriste, Grzegorzekia, Leia, Leptomorphus, Manota, Megalopelma, Megaphthalmidia, Monoclona, Mycetophila, Mycomya, Neoempheria, Neuratelia, Palaeodocosia, Paratinia, Phronia, Phthinia, Platurocypta, Polylepta, Pseudobrachypeza, Pseudoexechia, Pseudorymosia, Rondaniella, Rymosia, Saigusaia, Sceptonia, Sciophila, Speolepta, Stigmatomeria, Synapha, Synplasta, Syntemna, Tarnania, Tetragoneura, Trichonta, Zygomyia.
Illustrations. • 12 genera (Walker). 2, Mycetophila cingulum, with details of face and antenna (2a). 2b, wing of Zygomyia pictipennis. 3, Cordyla crassicornis, with details of antenna (3a), and terminal joint of tarsus, with claws and pulvillus (3b). 4, Azana anomala, with details of head from the front (4a) and side (4b). 5a, wing of Leia winthemii; 5b, face of Leia bimaculata. 5c, wing of Allocotocera pulchella. 6, Megophthalmidia crassicornis, with details of face (6a) and antenna (6b). 7, Boletina dubia, with details of head from the front (7a). 8a, face of Mycomyia winnertzii. 8b, wing of Neoempheria pictipennis (fasciae omitted). 8c, wing of Trichonta venosa. 9a and 9b, head and wing, respectively, of Tetragoneura sp., and of Tetragoneura sylvatica. From Walker (1856, Plate XXI), with approximate lengths (front of head to tip of abdomen) added. • Leia bimaculata (Walker). 1 and 5b, Leia bimaculata, with detail of the face in front view. 2, "Sciophila hilaris" (nomen dubium). From Walker (1856, Plate XXIX). • Leptomorphus walkeri Curtis (Original genus and species descriptions. Southgate Crane-fly: B. Ent. 365). • Leptomorphus walkeri (detail: B. Ent. 365). • Leptomorphus walkeri (dissections: B. Ent. 365). • Leptomorphus walkeri (legend+text: B. Ent. 365). The original description of the genus Leptomorphus Curtis, and of the species L. walkeri Curtis. • Leptomorphus walkeri (text, cont.: B. Ent. 365). • Details of Leptomorphus walkeri (from Walker). Leptomorphus walkeri: details of head in side (2a) and front (2b) views, middle leg (2c), and wing (2d). From Walker (1856, Plate XXII). • Tetragoneura sylvatica (Curtis): B. Ent. 641. • Tetragoneura sylvatica (Curtis): B. Ent. 641, legend+text. • Tetragoneura sylvatica (Curtis): B. Ent. 641, text cont.. • Allocotocera pulchella (Curtis): B. Ent. 645. • Allocotocera pulchella (Curtis): B. Ent. 645, legend+text. • Allocotocera pulchella (Curtis): B. Ent. 645, text cont.. • Symmerusannulatus: as ?Mycetophila zonata, Stephens 1846.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Diptera. Version: 14th April 2022. delta-intkey.com’.
