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Bibionomorpha

(Infraorder)

Overview

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Bibionomorpha is a of Nematocera. One of its constituent families, the Anisopodidae, is the presumed sister taxon to the entire suborder Brachycera. Several of the remaining families in the infraorder (those shown without common names) are former subfamilies of the Mycetophilidae, which has been recently subdivided. The family Axymyiidae has recently been removed from the Bibionomorpha to its own infraorder Axymyiomorpha.

Most of the flies in the Bibionomorpha are saprophages or fungivores as larvae, aside from the Cecidomyiidae, which are gall-formers. Some sciarids are common indoor pests, developing large populations in potting soil that has become moldy from overwatering. The larave of Bibionidae sometimes migrate in large snakelike masses in order to minimize dehydration while seeking a new feeding site.

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Infraorder Bibionomorpha is a member of the Suborder Nematocera. Here is the complete "parentage" of Bibionomorpha:

The Infraorder Bibionomorpha is further organized into finer groupings including:

Families

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Axymyiidae

The family Axymyiidae is the sole member of the infraorder Axymyiomorpha, though it is often included within the infraorder Bibionomorpha in older classifications. It is known from only 6 species in 3 genera, plus 3 fossil species. [more]

Bibionidae

Bibionidae (march flies and ) is a family of flies (Diptera). Approximately 650-700 species are known worldwide. [more]

Bolitophilidae

[more]

Cecidomyiidae

Cecidomyiidae (sometimes misspelled Cecidomyidae) is a family of flies (Order ) known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls. [more]

Diadocidiidae

[more]

Ditomyiidae

[more]

Hesperinidae

[more]

Keroplatidae

Mycetophilidae is a family of very small , 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. [more]

Lygistorrhinidae

[more]

Manotidae

[more]

Mycetophilidae

Mycetophilidae is a family of very small , 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. [more]

Pachyneuridae

[more]

Pleciidae

[more]

Sciaridae

Sciaridae is a family of , commonly known as dark-winged fungus gnats. Commonly found in moist environments, they are known to be a pest of mushroom farms and are commonly found in household plant pots. This is one of the least studied of the large Diptera families, probably due to the small size of these insects and the difficulty in specific identification. There are currently around 1700 described species but there are estimated to be up to 20,000 species awaiting discovery, mainly in the tropics. More than 600 species are known from Europe. [more]

At least 2,135 species and subspecies belong to the Family Sciaridae.

More info about the Family Sciaridae may be found here.

Sources

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Last Revised: September 22, 2009
2009/09/22 09:55:15