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Psychodomorpha

(Infraorder)

Overview

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The infraorder Psychodomorpha (sometimes misspelled Psychomorpha - which is also the name of a genus of noctuid moths) includes two common families, Psychodidae and Scatopsidae, and other very small, rare families. In some classifications (e.g. the Tree of Life Web Project), the group is paraphyletic.

Taxonomy

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

The Infraorder Psychodomorpha is further organized into finer groupings including:

Families

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Anisopodidae

Anisopodidae is a small cosmopolitan family of -like flies known as Wood gnats or Window-gnats with 154 described extant species in 15 genera, and several described fossil taxa. Some species are saprophagous or fungivorous. They are mostly small to medium-sized flies, except the genera Olbiogaster and Lobogaster, which are large with bizarrely spatulate abdomens. Their phylogenetic placement is controversial. They have been proposed to be the sister group to the higher flies, the Brachycera (Oosterbroek and Courtney 1995). Some authors (Amorim and Grimaldi 2006) consider this group to be four distinct families- Anisopodidae, Mycetobiidae, Olbiogastridae, and Valeseguyidae. [more]

Canthyloscelididae

[more]

Mycetobiidae

[more]

Perissommatidae

Perissommatidae is a family of that was newly proposed in 1962. The family contains five species, four from Australia and one from Chile. Perissommatidae are unusual as they have four eyes. They have a small slender body that's less than 2mm in length. Their wings are large in comparison to their body and subsequently their flight is weak. Preferring high altitude forest environments, adults only fly in the winter. In the case of Perissomma macalpinei numbers of adults have been observed congregate in clumps of foliage, rising in short zigzag flights in the sunlight above the foliage for short periods before descending back. [more]

Psychodidae

The family Psychodidae (moth flies or drain flies) are small true flies (Diptera) with short, hairy bodies and wings giving them a "furry" moth-like appearance. The adults have long antennae and the wings are leaf-shaped, either slender or broad, with the most elementary wing venation of any Diptera, having little more than a series of parallel veins without crossveins. Adult Psychodidae are typically nocturnal and associated with damp habitats. The larvae live in aquatic habitats (often with low oxygen), including bathroom sinks; they are commonly nuisance pests in bathrooms. [more]

Scatopsidae

The minute black scavenger flies or "dung midges", Scatopsidae, is a family of flies. Despite being distributed throughout the world, it is quite a small family with only around 250 described species in 27 genera although many await description and doubtless even more await discovery. These are generally small, sometimes minute, dark flies (from 0.6 to 5mm), generally similar to black flies (Simuliidae) but usually lacking the humped thorax characteristic of that family. [more]

Trichoceridae

Trichoceridae, or winter crane flies, of the order are long, thin, delicate insects superficially similar in appearance to the Tipulidae, Tanyderidae, and Ptychopteridae. The presence of ocelli distinguishes the Trichoceridae from these other families. The adults can be found flying in the fall and the spring and some are active even in the winter, hence their common name. Adults can also be found resting inside caves and hollow logs. Larvae occur in moist habitats where they feed on decaying vegetable matter. [more]

At least 361 species and subspecies belong to the Family Trichoceridae.

More info about the Family Trichoceridae may be found here.

Sources

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Last Revised: September 22, 2009
2009/09/22 10:08:12