Mycetophilidae Newman, 1834

Jan Ševčík¹ & Vladimír Košel²

¹ Silesian Museum, Tyršova 1, CZ-746 01 Opava, Czech Republic; sevcikjan@email.cz

² Department of Zoology, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina, SK - 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia, kosel@fns.uniba.sk

Small to relatively large (2.0-15.0 mm), morphologically diverse, yellowish to dark brown fungus gnats. Head with two or three ocelli; antenna with scape and pedicel short, flagellum with 14 segments, varying from short to long. Thorax hump-backed, coxae long, legs strong or narrow, typically with numerous bristles, abdomen usually narrow. Wings often with dark markings, wing membrane with or without macrotrichia. Sc ending in C, free or R, vein M-Cu close to wing base. The larvae are mycophagous, feeding on the mycelia or fruit bodies of various fungi or myxomycetes. The adults are common in the undergrowth of forests, especially in shaded places alongside streams, in cavities under tree roots and overhanging stream banks, but also in other habitats such as meadows and steppe habitats.

The Mycetophilidae is a species-rich family with about 950 species in Europe (Chandler 2004) and more than 3500 described species in the world (Søli et al. 2000), but at least the same number of species still await description. Altogether 585 species are listed in the present checklist (531 from the Czech Republic, 331 in Bohemia, 469 in Moravia, and 393 from Slovakia). Since the last version of checklist (Košel et al. 1997), the number of species has almost doubled due to intensive research during the past decade (Chandler 2001, Košel 2004, Kurina 2003a, 2003b, Laštovka & Ševčík 2006, Martinovský & Barták 2000, Søli 1997, Søli et al. 2000, Šedivý & Ševčík 2003, Ševčík 1999a, 1999b, 2000, 2001a, 2001b, 2002, 2003a, 2003b, 2004a, 2004b, 2005a, 2005b, 2006a, 2006b, 2006c, 2006d, Ševčík & Martinovský 1999, Ševčík & Papp 2002, 2003, Ševčík et al. 2005, Zaitzev & Ševčík 2003); 186 species have been added to the Czech Republic (159 to Bohemia and 178 to Moravia) and 172 species to the fauna of Slovakia. The species composition of Mycetophilidae in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia is thus now better known, but many additional species are expected to occur and several taxonomic problems still remain to be solved.

The basic characteristics and a comprehensive morphological review of the family were recently given by Søli (1997) and Søli et al. (2000), including a modern key to the European genera. The identification of the European species is possible using numerous papers, including the handbooks by Hutson et al. (1980), Søli et al. (2000) and Zaitzev (1994, 2003). The nomenclature used in the present checklist mainly follows that in the Fauna Europaea (Chandler 2004), but the phylogeny and systematics within the family are still not fully clarified.

References

[1] Chandler P. 2001: Fungus gnats (Diptera: Sciaroidea) new to Britain. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 13: 215-243.

[2] Chandler P. 2004: Fauna Europaea: Mycetophilidae. In Jong H. de (ed.): Fauna Europaea: Diptera, Nematocera. Fauna Europaea Version 1.1, http://www.faunaeur.org.

[3] Hutson A.M., Ackland D.M. & Kidd L.N. 1980: Mycetophilidae (Bolitophilinae, Ditomyiinae, Diadocidiinae, Keroplatinae, Sciophilinae and Manotinae). Diptera, Nematocera. Handbooks for the identification of British insects 9: 1-111.

[4] Košel V. 2004: Parietal Diptera in caves of the Belianske Tatry Mts (Slovakia, the Western Carpathians) I. Introduction and species spectrum. Acta Facultatis Ecologiae 12, Suppl. 1: 69-73.

[5] Košel V., Chandler P. & Martinovský J. 1997: Mycetophilidae. In Chvála M. (ed.): Check List of Diptera (Insecta) of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Karolinum – Charles University Press, Prague, p. 19-23.

[6] Kurina O. 2003a: Notes on the Palaearctic species of the genus Polylepta Winnertz (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) with a new synonymization. Entomologica Fennica 14: 91-97.

[7] Kurina O. 2003b: On the validity of the species Exechiopsis aemula Plassmann and Exechiopsis pulchella (Winnertz) (Diptera, Mycetophilidae). Norweigan Journal of Entomology 50: 3-10.

[8] Laštovka P. & Ševčík J. 2006: A review of the Czech and Slovak species of Docosia Winnertz (Diptera: Mycetophilidae), with atlas of the male and female terminalia. Časopis Slezského zemského muzea, Opava (A) 55: 1-37.

[9] Martinovský J. & Barták M. 2000: Mycetophilidae. In Barták M. & Vaňhara J. (eds): Diptera in an industrially affected region (North-Western Bohemia, Bílina and Duchcov environs) I. Folia Facultatis Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis, Biologia 104: 65-71.

[10] Søli G.E.E. 1997: The adult morphology of Mycetophilidae (s.str.), with a tentative phylogeny of the family (Diptera, Sciaroidea). Entomologica scandinavica Supplement 50: 5-55.

[11] Søli G.E.E., Vockeroth J.R. & Matile L. 2000: A.4. Families of Sciaroidea. In Papp L. & Darvas B. (eds): Manual of Palaearctic Diptera. Appendix. Science Herald, Budapest, pp. 49-92.

[12] Šedivý J. & Ševčík J. 2003: Ichneumonid (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) parasitoids of fungus gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae): rearing records from the Czech Republic. Studia dipterologica 10: 153-158.

[13] Ševčík J. 1999a: Fifty species of fungus gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) new for the Czech Republic and/or Slovakia, including a new species of Allodia Winnertz. Časopis Slezského zemského muzea, Opava (A) 48: 97-105.

[14] Ševčík J. 1999b: Faunistic records from the Czech Republic - 83. Diptera: Mycetophilidae: Manotinae. Klapalekiana 35: 48.

[15] Ševčík J. 2000: New records of fungus gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) from Slovakia. Biologia, Bratislava 55: 577-578.

[16] Ševčík J. 2001a: A new species of Dynatosoma, fourteen new synonyms and other data on fungus gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) from central and northern Europe. Studia dipterologica 8: 143-152.

[17] Ševčík J. 2001b: New records of Diadocidiidae, Keroplatidae and Mycetophilidae (Diptera: Sciaroidea) from the Czech Republic. Časopis Slezského zemského muzea, Opava (A) 50: 159-169.

[18] Ševčík J. 2002: New records of Bolitophilidae, Keroplatidae and Mycetophilidae (Diptera) from Slovakia. Biologia, Bratislava 57: 198, 212.

[19] Ševčík J. 2003a: The identity of Mycetophila obsoleta Zetterstedt, 1852 and the description of M. boreocruciator sp. n. (Diptera: Mycetophilidae). Biologia, Bratislava 58: 201-204.

[20] Ševčík J. 2003b: Insects associated with wood-decaying fungi in the Czech and Slovak republics: a review of present knowledge. Acta Facultatis Rerum Naturalium Universitas Ostraviensis, Biologica-Ecologica 9: 159-165.

[21] Ševčík J. 2004a: New data on Sciaroidea (Diptera) from the Czech and Slovak Republics, with descriptions of seven new species of Mycetophilidae. Časopis Slezského zemského muzea, Opava (A) 53: 49-74.

[22] Ševčík J. 2004b: Diptera associated with fungi in the Poloniny National Park (Bukovské vrchy Mts., East Slovakia). Folia Facultatis Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis, Biologia 109: 293-304.

[23] Ševčík J. 2005a: New records of Sciophila Meigen from the Czech and Slovak Republics (Diptera: Mycetophilidae). Časopis Slezského zemského muzea, Opava (A) 54: 69-74.

[24] Ševčík J. 2005b: New records of Bolitophilidae, Mycetophilidae, Anisopodidae and Mycetobiidae (Diptera) from Slovakia. Biologia, Bratislava 60: 588, 598.

[25] Ševčík J. 2006a: Faunistic records from the Czech and Slovak Republics. Mycetophilidae. In Kinkorová J. (ed.): Dipterologica bohemoslovaca, Vol. 13. Acta Universitatis Carolinae – Biologica 50: 137-138.

[26] Ševčík J. 2006b: Docosia rohaceki sp. n. and other interesting records of fungus gnats (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) from Poĺana Biosphere Reserve (Central Slovakia). Časopis Slezského zemského muzea, Opava (A) 55: 131-134.

[27] Ševčík J. 2006c: Diptera associated with fungi in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Časopis Slezského zemského muzea, Opava (A), Supplement 2, 55: 1-84.

[28] Ševčík J. 2006d: Faunistic records from the Czech and Slovak republics: Diptera: Ditomyiidae, Keroplatidae, Mycetophilidae, Dixidae. Entomofauna carpathica 18: 46.

[29] Ševčík J. & Martinovský J. 1999: Faunistic records. Keroplatidae, Mycetophilidae. In Jedlička L. (ed.): Dipterologica bohemoslovaca. Vol. 9. Slovak Entomological Society, Bratislava, pp. 189-193.

[30] Ševčík J. & Papp L. 2002: Mycetophilidae (Diptera): additions and corrections to the „Checklist of the Diptera of Hungary“. Folia entomologica hungarica 63: 149-156.

[31] Ševčík J. & Papp L. 2003: New Mycetophilidae (Diptera) and additions to the Hungarian checklist. Folia entomologica hungarica 64: 285-295.

[32] Ševčík J., Kubík Š. & Barták M. 2005: Mycetophilidae. In Barták M. & Kubík Š. (eds): Diptera of Podyjí National Park and Environs. Česká zemědělská univerzita, Praha, pp. 51-66.

[33] Zaitzev A.I. 1994: Fungus gnats of the fauna of Russia and adjacent regions. Part I. Nauka, Moscow, 288 pp.

[34] Zaitzev A.I. 2003: Fungus gnats (Diptera, Sciaroidea) of the fauna of Russia and adjacent regions. Part II. International Journal of Dipterological Research 14: 77-386.

[35] Zaitzev A.I. & Ševčík J. 2003: A review of the Palaearctic species of the Leptomorphus quadrimaculatus (Matsumura) group (Diptera: Mycetophilidae). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 48 (2002): 203-211.