Enicocephalidae, also called unique-headed bugs and gnat bugs, are a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of around 300
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of the
suborder
Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...
Heteroptera. They are typically 4 mm long, and found throughout the world. They have an elongated head, constricted in places, hence their head is 'unique'.

The are classified into about 47 genera placed in five subfamilies. The family members can be separated from those of the
Aenictopecheidae on the basis of the pronotal division into three lobes (except in the genus ''
Alienates''). They also show polymorphism with winged males and wingless or short-winged females.
Genera
Genera in the family include:
* ''
Alienates''
Barber, 1953 i c g
* ''
Boreostolus''
Wygodzinsky and Stys, 1970 i c g
* ''
Brevidorsus''
Kritsky, 1977 i c g
* ''
Ciucephalus''
Štys, 1982 g
* ''
Disphaerocephalus''
Cockerell, 1917 g
* ''
Enicocephalinus''
Azar, Fleck, Nel & Solignac, 1999 g
* ''
Enicocephalus''
Westwood, 1838 g
* ''
Gourlayocoris''
c g
* ''
Henicocephalus''
g
* ''
Henschiella''
Horvath, 1888 g
* ''
Hoplitocoris''
Jeannel, 1942 g
* ''
Hymenocoris''
Uhler, 1892 i c g
* ''
Lomagostus''
Villiers, 1958 g
* ''
Monteithostolus''
Štys, 1981 g
* ''
Nesenicocephalus''
Usinger, 1939 i c g
* ''
Oncylocotis''
Stål, 1855 g
* ''
Paenicotechys''
Štys, 1969 g
* ''
Paralienates''
Maldonado-Capriles, Santiago-Blay & Poinar, 1996 g
* ''
Phaenicocleus''
Štys & Banar, 2009 g
* ''
Phthirocoris''
Enderlein, 1904 g
* ''
Phthirostenus''
c g
* ''
Proboscidopirates''
Villiers, 1958 g
* ''
Pyrenicocephalus''
Štys, 2010 g
* ''
Stenopirates''
Walker, 1873 g
* ''
Systelloderes
''Systelloderes'' is a genus of gnat bugs in the family Enicocephalidae
Enicocephalidae, also called unique-headed bugs and gnat bugs, are a family of around 300 species of the suborder Heteroptera. They are typically 4 mm long, and foun ...
''
Blanchard, 1852 i c g b
* ''
Tornocrusus''
Kritsky, 1977 g
* ''
Xenicocephalus''
Wygodzinsky & Schmidt, 1991
Data sources: i = ITIS,[ c = Catalogue of Life,][ g = GBIF,][ b = Bugguide.net]
Fossil genera
* †''
Allocephalocoris'' Luo et al, 2020
Burmese amber
Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. ...
, Myanmar,
Cenomanian
* †''
Disphaerocephalus'' Cockerell 1917 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
* †''
Enicocephalinus'' Azar et al. 1999
Lebanese amber
Lebanese amber is fossilized resin found in Lebanon and southwest Syria. It dates back approximately 130-125 million years to the Barremian of the Early Cretaceous. It formed on what was then the northern coast of Gondwana, believed to be a tropic ...
,
Barremian
The Barremian is an age in the geologic timescale (or a chronostratigraphic stage) between 129.4 ± 1.5 Ma ( million years ago) and 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma). It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous Epoch (or Lower Cretaceous Series). It is pre ...
* †''
Paralienates'' Maldonado Capriles et al. 1996
Dominican amber
Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic derived from resin of the extinct tree ''Hymenaea protera''.
Dominican amber differentiates itself from Baltic amber by being nearly always transparent, and it has a higher number of fossil incl ...
,
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...
*†''
Paenicotechys'' Cockerell 1917, Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
* †''
Pyrenicocephalus'' Štys 2010
London Clay
The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian (early Eocene Epoch, c. 56–49 million years ago) age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for its fossil content. The fossils from t ...
, United Kingdom,
Ypresian
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian Age. The Ypresian i ...
References
Enicocephalomorpha
Heteroptera families
{{Heteroptera-stub