CHAPTER V. 



THE M YC ETO PHI LI D /E, 

 OR " FUNGUS GNATS." 



The Mycetophilidce are a large family of gnats related to the 

 Cecidomyidcn, and formerly contained two genera {Catocha and Les- 

 treniia), which are now placed in the latter family, although both 

 these genera show affinities to the Sciarimv. 



The following names are synonymous with the family — 

 lAIycetophilincc et SciarimE, Zett. 

 \Mycetophilites, Newman. 

 ■^ ^ "" j Tip. MycetopJiilides, Westwood. 



\Tip. Fiaigicohe^ Mg. 



On the one hand we see the family is closely connected to the 

 Cecidomyidce by Lestreinia, etc., and on the other to the Bibionidce by 

 the genus A?iarete, which was for a long time retained in the family 

 we are dealing with now. Besides these two connections there are 

 also close affinities to the " Fleas,"* as exemplified by the genus 

 Mycetophiia, and, according to Walker, especially by the species 

 M. fiigra, a northern species, but from the description of it given by 

 Zetterstedt in his " Insecta Lapponica " (p. 860), I fail to see any 

 resemblance unless in the appearance of the legs, but even there it 

 is very slight. 



These " fungus gnats " also appear to be connected to the 

 Tipiilidcc through the genus Dixa, which for a long time has been 

 hovering from family to family, and at last has been satisfactorily 

 disposed of by raising it to a family of its own in the neighbourhood 

 of the Ptychoptcridcc. 



In many respects the problematical dixa resembled the genus 

 Bolitophila. It was included in the family under consideration by 

 Meigen and Zetterstedt, but is now definitely separated from it. 



At present the MycetopJiilidie seem to be little understood, 



* Walker's Ins. Brit., vii'u, p. 6. 



