Mycetophilidae
Mycetophila fungorum
The fungus gnats ( Mycetophilidae ) are a family of very small midges ( Nematocera ). Worldwide, about 3,000 species are described in 150 genera until now. Of these, before nearly 1,000 species and subspecies in Europe. The fungus gnats are well known from inclusions in amber. Therefore, we know that they were already well established and diversified in the Cretaceous period.
Features
The midges have a slender and delicate body with long, thin legs. A striking feature of them are of the humped thorax and the long and thread-like sensor. These consist of 8 to 16 segments. Their mouthparts are atrophied. In addition to the compound eyes, they also have simple eyes ( ocelli ). The Flügeladerung front is more strongly developed than the back of the wing.
Life and development
The adult mosquitoes can be found in damp, cool and shady places, especially in forests or wetlands, but also across the streams and meadows. There are also living in caves species. In spring and summer the mosquitoes form temporarily dense swarms, which is often on gravid males.
Mating takes place near the nesting sites either in flight or sitting. Eggs are laid either on fungi or on the ground. The larvae of most species live oligophagous of fungi or their mycelia and can also eat poisonous mushrooms. Only a few species are monophagous or polyphagous but. In addition, there are species that live in the leaf litter and feed on decaying plant material or yeasts. A few species have also been found in mosses, other species are even partially predatory. Larvae of the subfamilies Mycomyinae, Sciophilinae and Leiinae can produce adhesive threads with which they catch prey. These filaments consist of either mucus or of silk. They are usually covered with sticky or toxic droplets. Catches an insect in it, it is covered with mucus or silk threads. The larvae usually have near their threads a shelter, where they are hiding and where they eat their prey. The development is completed after about two weeks, with the pupation takes place close to the feeding places. The hatched imagoes have a life expectancy of 10 to 20 days. Hibernation takes place mostly in the larval stage, but sometimes overwinter the adult animals.
Bioluminescence
About a dozen species of fungus gnats have partially as adult animals, or as a doll 's ability to bioluminescence, which is unique among the Diptera. In addition, all of the larvae of these species can shine. The larvae lure with the light signals of their prey, which is then caught in glue strings. Through the lights they are also sometimes give themselves the victims of predators.
Taxonomy
The fungus gnats have recently been divided into the families Bolitophilidae, Diadocidiidae, Ditomyiidae, Keroplatidae, Macroceridae, Mycetobiidae and Mycetophilidae. The division, however, is not yet widely recognized, and many sources still only know the family of Mycetophilidae as a whole.
Fossil evidence
Fungus gnats are the most common fossil Diptera. The oldest document is a fund from unterjurassischer deposit in England. More fungus gnats from the Jurassic period have been found in Germany and East Asia. Cretaceous records of fungus gnats are from different amber deposits known ( Canada, Siberia, and New Jersey). From the Eocene Baltic amber about 150 species have been described from around 50 genera. The members of this family make up about one-eighth of all Nematocera found in Baltic amber and are consequently according to the Chironomidae, the most common family of this suborder. There are also individual finds from other tertiary amber deposits (including Mexico, Burma, Dominican Republic and China).