''Bolitophila'' is the sole living genus in the Bolitophilidae, a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of
Diptera
Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...
in the superfamily
Sciaroidea
Sciaroidea is a superfamily in the infraorder Bibionomorpha. There are about 16 families and more than 15,000 described species in Sciaroidea. Most of its constituent families are various gnats.
Description
As nematoceran flies, sciaroid adu ...
, with around 40
Palaearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...
and about 20
Nearctic
The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface.
The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...
species, and three species from the Oriental region (Taiwan).
They are small (6–9 mm).
Morphology
Biology
The larvae of ''Bolitophila'' are
mycetophagous
Fungivory or mycophagy is the process of organisms consuming fungi. Many different organisms have been recorded to gain their energy from consuming fungi, including birds, mammals, insects, plants, amoebas, gastropods, nematodes, bacteria and othe ...
and live in decaying wood or other organic debris overgrown by fungal plant substrates. Pupation takes place inside the fungal mycelium in soil or litter. Adults prefer shady and humid environments and can be found in the undergrowth of mixed forests, often near watercourses.
Evolutionary history
The oldest fossils belonging to ''Bolitophila'' are known from the
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
, with ''Bolitophila warreni'' known from the
Lutetian
The Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage or age in the Eocene. It spans the time between . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it is sometimes referred to as the Midd ...
aged
Kishenehn Formation The Kishenehn Formation is a Paleogene stratigraphic unit in Montana. Fossil amiiforme and teleost fish have been found in outcrops of the formation's Coal Creek Member in Glacier National Park. Mosquitos have also been found in the Coal Creek Me ...
in
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
and ''Bolitophila rohdendorfi'' known from
Baltic amber
The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than 1 ...
. The closest known relative to ''Bolitophila'' and only other known member of the family is the extinct genus ''
Mangas
Manges (; Greek language, Greek: μάγκες ; Grammatical number, sing.: mangas , μάγκας ) is the name of a social group in the Belle Époque era's counterculture of Greece (especially of the great urban centers: History of Athens#Modern At ...
,'' known from the
Lower Cretaceous
Lower may refer to:
*Lower (surname)
*Lower Township, New Jersey
*Lower Receiver (firearms)
*Lower Wick
Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eight ...
(
Aptian
The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous Epoch or Series and encompasses the time from 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma to 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma (million years ago), a ...
) aged
Gurvan-Eren Formation of Mongolia and the Khasurty locality of
Buryatia
Buryatia, officially the Republic of Buryatia (russian: Республика Бурятия, r=Respublika Buryatiya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə bʊˈrʲætʲɪjə; bua, Буряад Улас, Buryaad Ulas, , mn, Буриад Улс, Buriad Uls), is ...
, Russia.
Species
*''
B. acuta''
Garrett, 1925
*''
B. affinis''
Ostroverkhova, 1971
*''
B. alberta''
Fisher, 1937
*''
B. antennata''
Ševčik & Papp, 2004
*''
B. aperta''
Lundström, 1914
*''
B. atlantica''
Fisher, 1934
*''
B. austriaca''
(Mayer, 1950)
*''
B. basicornis''
(Mayer, 1951)
*''
B. bilobata''
Garrett, 1925
*''
B. bimaculata''
Zetterstedt
Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt (20 May 1785 – 23 December 1874) was a Sweden, Swedish Naturalism (philosophy) , naturalist who worked mainly on Diptera and Hymenoptera.
Biography
Zetterstedt studied at the Lund University, University of Lund, where ...
, 1838
*''
B. bispinosa''
Mayer, 1951
*''
B. bucera''
Shaw, 1940
*''
B. caspersi''
Plassmann, 1987
*''
B. cinerea''
Meigen, 1818
*''
B. clavata''
Garrett, 1925
*''
B. collarti''
(Tollet, 1943)
*''
B. connectans''
Garrett, 1925
*''
B. cooremani''
(Tollet, 1955)
*''
B. coronata''
Mayer, 1951
*''
B. curviseta''
Ostroverkhova, 1979
*''
B. disjuncta''
Loew, 1869
*''
B. distus''
Fisher, 1937
*''
B. doerrsteini''
Plassmann, 1988
*''
B. dubia''
Siebke, 1863
*''
B. dubiosa''
Van Duzee, 1928
*''
B. duplus''
Garrett, 1925
*''
B. edwardsiana''
Stackelberg __NOTOC__
Stackelberg is a surname, mainly known as the surname of a noble family of Baltic German descent (see Stackelberg family). Notable people with the surname include:
A
* Adolphe Stackelberg (1822–1871), Swedish count and Christian reviv ...
, 1969
*''
B. exilis''
(Kovalev, 1986)
*''
B. fumida''
Edwards Edwards may refer to:
People
* Edwards (surname)
* Edwards family, a prominent family from Chile
* Edwards Barham (1937-2014), a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
* Edwards Pierrepont (1817–1892), an American attorney, jurist, and ora ...
, 1941
*''
B. fusca''
Meigen, 1818
*''
B. glabrata''
Loew, 1869
*''
B. glabratella''
Mayer, 1951
*''
B. hybrida''
( Meigen, 1804)
*''
B. incisa''
Ostroverkhova & Grishina, 1974
*''
B. ingrica''
Stackelberg __NOTOC__
Stackelberg is a surname, mainly known as the surname of a noble family of Baltic German descent (see Stackelberg family). Notable people with the surname include:
A
* Adolphe Stackelberg (1822–1871), Swedish count and Christian reviv ...
, 1969
*''
B. japonica''
(Okada, 1934)
*''
B. latipes''
Tollet, 1943
*''
B. lengersdorfi''
(Tollet, 1955)
*''
B. leruthi''
(Tollet, 1955)
*''
B. limitis''
Polevoi, 1996
*''
B. luteola''
Plotnikova, 1962
*''
B. maculipennis''
Mayer, 1951
*''
B. maculipennis''
Walker
Walker or The Walker may refer to:
People
*Walker (given name)
*Walker (surname)
*Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer
Places
In the United States
*Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County
*Walker, Mono County, California
* ...
, 1835
*''
B. mayeri''
Plassmann, 1987
*''
B. melanoleuci''
Polevoi, 1996
*''
B. miki''
(Mayer, 1950)
*''
B. modesta''
Lackschewitz, 1937
*''
B. montana''
Coquillett, 1901
*''
B. nana''
( Macquart, 1826)
*''
B. nigrolineata''
Landrock, 1912
*''
B. obscurior''
Stackelberg __NOTOC__
Stackelberg is a surname, mainly known as the surname of a noble family of Baltic German descent (see Stackelberg family). Notable people with the surname include:
A
* Adolphe Stackelberg (1822–1871), Swedish count and Christian reviv ...
, 1969
*''
B. occlusa''
Edwards Edwards may refer to:
People
* Edwards (surname)
* Edwards family, a prominent family from Chile
* Edwards Barham (1937-2014), a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
* Edwards Pierrepont (1817–1892), an American attorney, jurist, and ora ...
, 1913
*''
B. palustris''
Ostroverkhova, 1979
*''
B. patulosa''
Garrett, 1925
*''
B. perlata''
Garrett, 1925
*''
B. plumicornis''
(Mayer, 1951)
*''
B. pseudohybrida''
Landrock, 1912
*''
B. raca''
Garrett, 1925
*''
B. rectangulata''
Lundström, 1913
*''
B. recurva''
Garrett, 1925
*''
B. rossica''
Landrock, 1912
*''
B. saundersii''
(Curtis
Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' ( Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Ga ...
, 1836)
*''
B. scherfi''
Plassmann, 1970
*''
B. sibirica''
(Ostroverkhova, 1979)
*''
B. simplex''
Garrett, 1925
*''
B. spelaeicola''
Tollet, 1955
*''
B. spinigera''
Edwards Edwards may refer to:
People
* Edwards (surname)
* Edwards family, a prominent family from Chile
* Edwards Barham (1937-2014), a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
* Edwards Pierrepont (1817–1892), an American attorney, jurist, and ora ...
, 1925
*''
B. subbimaculata''
Zaitzev, 1994
*''
B. subteresa''
(Garrett, 1925)
*''
B. taihybrida''
Ševčik & Papp, 2004
*''
B. tarsata''
Mayer, 1951
*''
B. tarsatiformis''
Ostroverkhova, 1979
*''
B. tenella''
Winnertz, 1863
*''
B. triangulata''
Edwards Edwards may refer to:
People
* Edwards (surname)
* Edwards family, a prominent family from Chile
* Edwards Barham (1937-2014), a former member of the Louisiana State Senate
* Edwards Pierrepont (1817–1892), an American attorney, jurist, and ora ...
, 1941
*''
B. trullata''
Lundström, 1916
*''
B. tungusica''
Ostroverkhova, 1979
References
Further reading
*Amorim D. S. & Rindal E., 2007 Phylogeny of the Mycetophiliformia, with proposal of the subfamilies Heterotrichinae, Ohakuneinae, and Chiletrichinae for the Rangomaramidae (Diptera, Bibionomorpha). ''Zootaxa'' 1535: 1–92.
*Hutson A.M., Ackland, D.M., & Kidd, L.N. (1980) Diptera: Mycetophilidae. ''
Royal Entomological Society of London
The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the study of insects. Its aims are to disseminate information about insects and improving communication between entomologists.
The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological Society of London ...
Handbook'' 9(3).
*Plassmann E., 1988 Bolitophilidae, in Soós A. & Papp L. (eds), ''Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera''. Volume 3. Ceratopogonidae — Mycetophilidae. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest: 193–196.
*
Séguy, E. (1940) Diptères: Nématocères. Paris: Éditions Faune de France 36
BibliothequeVirtuelleNumerique*Søli, G.E.E., Vockeroth J.R., & Matile L. (2000) "Families of Sciaroidea." in Papp, L. & Darvas B. (eds) ''Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera'' (with Special Reference to Flies of Economic Importance). Budapest: Science Herald, pp. 49–92.
*
Séguy, E. (1940) Diptères: Nématocères. Paris: Éditions ''Faune de France'' 3
BibliothequeVirtuelleNumerique
External links
Fungus gnats online
Sciaroidea
Sciaroidea genera
Kishenehn Formation
Taxa named by Johann Wilhelm Meigen
{{Sciaroidea-stub