Sciaridae

Belongs within: Sciaroidea.
Contains: Sciara (Sciara).

The Sciaridae, fungus gnats, are a group of small flies that mostly feed on decaying organic matter. They are characterised by wings with a short costa, a single short crossvein r-m near the base of the wing, two strongly sclerotised R veins and weakly sclerotised forked M and Cu veins (Mohrig & Menzel 2009).

Characters (from Steffan 1981): Small flies, 1.0–11 mm long, usually blackish, brownish, or yellowish. Compound eyes usually forming dorsal bridge above antennal bases. Wings hyaline or fumose, sometimes reduced or absent. C ending between apices of R₅ and M₁; Sc weak, ending free; CuP, A₁, and A₂ poorly developed; crossvein r-m in line with R₅; M and CuA forked; crossvein m-cu absent. R and its branches setose above; most other veins sometimes setose above; some veins sometimes setose below. Halter absent in wingless females. Tibiae with one or two apical spurs. Abdomen cylindrical and usually strongly tapering in female.

<==Sciaridae [Lycoriidae, Sciarinae, Sciaroidae]
    |--Scythropochroa nitida Edwards in Tonnoir & Edwards 1927S81, TE27
    |--Pnyxia scabieiS81
    |--PharatretulaS81
    |--Zygoneura [Zygoneurinae]S81
    |--Metangela toxoneuraMM09, S81
    |--Moehnia eremaS81
    |--Hybosciara giganteaBW09
    |--Keilbachia paucipalpaMM09
    |--Acuatella vestitudaMM09
    |--Pterothrix capillosaMM09
    |--Ctenosciara destitaMM09
    |--Trichosciara spinimanaMM09
    |--Leucosciara imperfectaMM09
    |--AustrosciaraCM91
    |--Palaeoheteretricha Loew 1850H02
    |--Palaeoheterotricha Meunier 1904H02
    |--Cerato Meigen 1904H02
    |--Palaeofuorista Meigen 1904H02
    |--Ruebsaameniella Meigen 1904H02
    |--Heeriella Meigen 1903H02
    |--Sciarella Meigen 1903H02
    |--ParastemmiaH02
    |--NeosciaraH02
    |--PhorodonataH02
    |--Protosciara Quievreux 1938H02
    |--Lycoria bicolor Meigen 1800H02
    |--Heterotricha Meunier 1904H02
    |    `--H. novaezelandiae Tonnoir in Tonnoir & Edwards 1927TE27
    |--Neophnyxia Tonnoir & Edwards 1927TE27
    |    `--*N. nelsoniana Tonnoir in Tonnoir & Edwards 1927TE27
    |--Mixosciaritis Hong 2002H02
    |    `--*M. brachyceroidis (Hong 1981) [=Lycoria brachyceroidis]H02
    |--Epidapus Haliday 1856H02
    |    |--E. (Epidapus) flavothoracicusMM09
    |    `--E. (Clandestina) perniciosusMM09
    |--EugnoristeMM09
    |    |--E. occidentalisS81
    |    `--E. villosoabdominalisMM09
    |--Chaetosciara Frey 1942H02
    |    |--C. joffreiS81
    |    `--C. solutospinaMM09
    |--Phytosciara (Dolichosciara)MM09
    |    |--P. (D.) exlobataMM09
    |    `--P. (D.) flavipesS81
    |--ScatopsciaraMM09
    |    |--S. (Scatopsciara) funestaMM09
    |    `--S. (Xenopygina) caribianaMM09
    |--Plastosciara Berg 1899 [incl. Peyrimhoffia Kieffer 1903]H02
    |    |--P. johnstoniS81
    |    `--P. perniciosaS81
    |--LeptosciarellaMM09
    |    |--L. (Leptosciarella) prosperaMM09
    |    `--L. (Protosciarella) virgatoalataMM09
    |--HyperlasionMM09
    |    |--H. capitulatumMM09
    |    `--H. wasmanniMM09
    |--SchwenckfeldinaMM09
    |    |--S. filamentosaMM09
    |    |--S. forcipigeraMM09
    |    `--S. imitansS81
    |--RhynchosciaraMM09
    |    |--R. angelaeKSM06
    |    |--R. hollaenderiKSM06
    |    `--R. mathildaeMM09
    |--Lycoriella Frey 1942H02
    |    |--L. agariciCM91
    |    |--L. maliS81
    |    `--L. ventrosa (Lengersdorf 1941)TKM93
    |--OdontosciaraMM09
    |    |  i. s.: O. nigraS81
    |    |--O. (Odontosciara) noctaMM09
    |    `--O. (Obscura) grandisMM09
    |--CorynopteraMM09
    |    |--C. assimilis Menzel 2005F05
    |    |--C. hannae Menzel 2005F05
    |    `--C. parvulaMM09
    |--ZygommaMM09
    |    |--Z. acutaMM09
    |    |--Z. fasciatellumMM09
    |    `--Z. modicaMM09
    |--Pseudosciara Schiner 1866H02
    |    |--P. forcepsS81
    |    |--P. fragistylaMM09
    |    |--P. hirtellaS81
    |    |--P. melanocephalaMM09
    |    `--P. ribeiroiMM09
    |--PseudolycoriellaMM09
    |    |--P. coecoalataMM09
    |    |--P. ferociaMM09
    |    |--P. indoceraMM09
    |    |--P. ovistylaMM09
    |    `--P. torvaMM09
    |--CratynaMM09
    |    |--C. (Cratyna)MM09
    |    |    |--C. (C.) cilioceraMM09
    |    |    |--C. (C.) ciliovenosaMM09
    |    |    `--C. (C.) micraMM09
    |    `--C. (Spathobdella) exteriaMM09
    |--Bradysia Winnertz 1867H02
    |    |--B. amoenaWT11
    |    |--B. coprophilaP09
    |    |--B. crassiceraMM09
    |    |--B. dilucidaMM09
    |    |--B. impatiensS81
    |    |--B. lobulataMM09
    |    `--B. macfarlaneiS81
    `--Sciara Meigen 1903H02
         |  i. s.: S. burmitina Cockerell 1917P92
         |         S. coprophilaWB98
         |         S. fraternaRD77
         |         ‘Trichosia’ hebesS81
         |         S. militarisR13
         |         S. penicillataMM09
         |         S. rufescens Hutton 1881 (n. d.)TE27
         |         S. semialataRD77
         |         S. thomaeR13
         |         S. triticiRD77
         |--S. (Sciara)TE27
         `--S. (Scaptosciara Tonnoir & Edwards 1927)TE27
              |--S. (*S.) quinquelineataTE27
              `--S. (S.) unicalcarata Edwards in Tonnoir & Edwards 1927TE27

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[BW09] Buck, M., N. E. Woodley, A. Borkent, D. M. Wood, T. Pape, J. R. Vockeroth, V. Michelsen & S. A. Marshall. 2009. Key to Diptera families—adults. In: Brown, B. V., A. Borkent, J. M. Cumming, D. M. Wood, N. E. Woodley & M. A. Zumbado (eds) Manual of Central American Diptera vol. 1 pp. 95–156. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[CM91] Colless, D. H., & D. K. McAlpine. 1991. Diptera (flies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 717–786. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[F05] Fernández, J. 2005. Noticia de nuevos táxones para la ciencia en el ámbito Íbero-Balear y Macaronésico. Nuevos táxones animales descritos en la península Ibérica y Macaronesia desde 1994 (IX). Graellsia 61 (2): 261–282.

[H02] Hong Y. 2002. Amber Insect of China. Beijing Scientific and Technological Publishing House.

[KSM06] King, R. C., W. D. Stansfield & P. K. Mulligan. 2006. A Dictionary of Genetics 7^th ed. Oxford University Press.

[MM09] Mohring, W., & F. Menzel. 2009. Sciaridae (black fungus gnats). In: Brown, B. V., A. Borkent, J. M. Cumming, D. M. Wood, N. E. Woodley & M. A. Zumbado (eds) Manual of Central American Diptera vol. 1 pp. 279–292. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[P09] Pape, T. 2009. Economic importance of Diptera. In: Brown, B. V., A. Borkent, J. M. Cumming, D. M. Wood, N. E. Woodley & M. A. Zumbado (eds) Manual of Central American Diptera vol. 1 pp. 65–77. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[P92] Poinar, G. O., Jr. 1992. Life in Amber. Stanford University Press: Stanford.

[R13] Reuter, O. M. 1913. Lebensgewohnheiten und Instinkte der Insekten bis zum Erwachen der sozialen Instinkte. R. Friedländer & Sohn: Berlin.

[RD77] Richards, O. W., & R. G. Davies. 1977. Imms’ General Textbook of Entomology 10^th ed. vol. 2. Classification and Biology. Chapman and Hall: London.

[S81] Steffan, W. A. 1981. Sciaridae. In: McAlpine, J. F., B. V. Peterson, G. E. Shewell, H. J. Teskey, J. R. Vockeroth & D. S. Wood (eds) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 1 pp. 247–255. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

[TKM93] Thaler, K., B. Knoflach & E. Meyer. 1993. Fragmenta faunistica Tirolensia—X. Berichte des Naturwissenschaftlich-Medizinischen Vereins in Innsbruck 80: 311–325.

[TE27] Tonnoir, A. L., & F. W. Edwards. 1927. New Zealand fungus gnats (Diptera, Mycetophilidae). Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 57: 747–878.

[WB98] Werren, J. H., & L. W. Beukeboom. 1998. Sex determination, sex ratios, and genetic conflict. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 29: 233–261.

[WT11] Wiegmann, B. M., M. D. Trautwein, I. S. Winkler, N. B. Barr, J.-W. Kim, C. Lambkin, M. A. Bertone, B. K. Cassel, K. M. Bayless, A. M. Heimberg, B. M. Wheeler, K. J. Peterson, T. Pape, B. J. Sinclair, J. H. Skevington, V. Blagoderov, J. Caravas, S. N. Kutty, U. Schmidt-Ott, G. E. Kampmeier, F. C. Thompson, D. A. Grimaldi, A. T. Beckenbach, G. W. Courtney, M. Friedrich, R. Meier & D. K. Yeates. 2011. Episodic radiations in the fly tree of life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 108 (14): 5690–5695.