Sciaridae

Sciaridae
Sciara hemerobioides
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Superfamily: Sciaroidea
Family: Sciaridae
Billberg, 1820[1]
Diversity
at least 90 genera
A sciarid ovipositing into a leaf of Urtica

The Sciaridae are a family of flies, 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 similarity among species.[2]

Currently, around 1700 species are described, but an estimated 20,000 species are awaiting discovery, mainly in the tropics. More than 600 species are known from Europe.[3]

  1. ^ Billberg, G.J. (1820). Enumeratio insectorum in Museo Gust. Stockholm: Joh. Billberg. pp. 138 pp.
  2. ^ "broadley". hbs.bishopmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  3. ^ Mohrig, Werner (2003). "Black fungus gnats of Central America. Part I. (Diptera, Sciaridae)" (PDF). Beiträge zur Entomologie. 53 (1): 1–69. doi:10.21248/contrib.entomol.53.1.1-69. Retrieved 13 May 2022.