''Leptoconops'' (black gnat) is a midge genus in the family

Ceratopogonidae Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, sand flies or biting midges, generally in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic. A 2025 study fro ...

. It has a mostly

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

distribution worldwide, but some species occur as far north as

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

region in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and the

Yukon Territory Yukon () is a territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s westernmost territory and the smallest ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. This genus is relictual, having had a pantropical distribution during the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

. The presence of ''Leptoconops'', along with '' Austroconops'', in ancient Lebanese amber makes these the earliest existing lineages of biting midges. Extinct species have also been described from amber from Siberia,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, Canada, Hungary,

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, p=səxɐˈlʲin) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An islan ...

, France, and Spain. Adult ''Leptoconops'' females are diurnal feeders, and suck

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is com ...

. Adults of both sexes in some species rest by burying themselves in sand. Larvae feed on algae, fungi, and bacteria. They burrow in moist, usually saline, sand or mud of desert areas and coastal and inland beaches.

Species

''Leptoconops'' contains the following species: *'' Leptoconops acer'' Clastrier, 1973 *'' Leptoconops albiventris'' de Meijere, 1915 *'' Leptoconops algeriensis'' Clastrier, 1975 *'' Leptoconops altuneshanensis'' Yu and Shao, 1988 *'' Leptoconops americanus'' Carter, 1921 *'' Leptoconops amplifemoralis'' Chanthawanich and Delfinado, 1967 *†'' Leptoconops amplificatus'' Borkent, 2001 *'' Leptoconops andersoni'' Clastrier and Wirth, 1978 *†'' Leptoconops antiquus'' Borkent, 2001 *'' Leptoconops arnaudi'' Clastrier and Wirth, 1978 *'' Leptoconops ascius'' Yu and Hui, 1988 *'' Leptoconops asilomar'' Clastrier and Wirth, 1978 *'' Leptoconops atchleyi'' Clastrier and Wirth, 1978 *'' Leptoconops auster'' Clastrier, 1981 *'' Leptoconops aviarum'' Gutsevich, 1973 *'' Leptoconops bahreinensis'' Clastrier and Boorman, 1987 *'' Leptoconops bossoi'' Clastrier, 1981 *'' Leptoconops belkini'' Wirth and Atchley, 1973 *'' Leptoconops bequaerti'' (Kieffer), 1925 *'' Leptoconops bezzii'' (Noè), 1905 *'' Leptoconops bidentatus'' Gutsevich, 1960 *'' Leptoconops binangulus'' Yu, 1989 *'' Leptoconops binisiculus'' Yu and Liu, 1988 *'' Leptoconops borealis'' Gutsevich, 1945 *'' Leptoconops boreus'' Kalugina, 1991 *'' Leptoconops brasiliensis'' (Lutz), 1913 *'' Leptoconops brevistylus'' Mazumdar, Saha & Chaudhuri, 2010 *'' Leptoconops bullsbrookensis'' Smee, 1966 *'' Leptoconops bundyensis'' Smee, 1966 *†'' Leptoconops burmiticus'' Szadziewski, 2004 *'' Leptoconops californiensis'' Wirth and Atchley, 1973 *'' Leptoconops camelorum'' (Kieffer), 1921 *'' Leptoconops capensis'' de Meillon and Hardy, 1953 *'' Leptoconops carteri'' Hoffman, 1926 *'' Leptoconops casali'' Cavalieri and Chiossone, 1966 *'' Leptoconops catawbae'' (Boesel), 1948 *'' Leptoconops chenfui'' Yu and Xiang, 1988 *'' Leptoconops chilensis'' Forattini, 1958 *'' Leptoconops chinensis'' Sun, 1968 *'' Leptoconops conulus'' Yu and Liu, 1990 *'' Leptoconops copiosus'' Borkent, 1996 *'' Leptoconops curvachelus'' Borkent, 1996 *†'' Leptoconops daugeroni'' Choufani, Azar and Nel, 2011 *'' Leptoconops demeilloni'' Clastrier and Nevill, 1984 *'' Leptoconops dissimilis'' Clastrier, 1975 *'' Leptoconops dixi'' de Meillon, 1936 *'' Leptoconops doyeni'' Spinelli and Ronderos, 1993 *†'' Leptoconops ellenbergeri'' Szadziewski, 2015 *'' Leptoconops endialis'' Smee, 1966 *'' Leptoconops exspectator'' Clastrier, 1975 *'' Leptoconops flaviventris'' Kieffer, 1918 *'' Leptoconops floridensis'' Wirth, 1951 *'' Leptoconops foleyi'' Clastrier, 1975 *'' Leptoconops fortipalpus'' Mazumdar, Saha & Chaudhuri, 2010 *'' Leptoconops foulki'' Clastrier and Wirth, 1978 *'' Leptoconops freeborni'' Wirth, 1952 *'' Leptoconops fretus'' Yu and Zhan, 1990 *'' Leptoconops fuscipennis'' Clastrier, Rioux, and Descous, 1961 *'' Leptoconops gallicus'' Clastrier, 1973 *'' Leptoconops golanensis'' Clastrier, 1981 *'' Leptoconops grandis'' Carter, 1921 *†'' Leptoconops gravesi'' Choufani et al., 2014 *'' Leptoconops halophilus'' Smee, 1966 *'' Leptoconops hamariensis'' Herzi and Sabatini, 1983 *'' Leptoconops harrisoni'' de Meillon and Hardy, 1953 *'' Leptoconops helobius'' Ma and Yu, 1990 *'' Leptoconops hutsoni'' Clastrier, 1974 *'' Leptoconops hyalinipennis'' Kieffer, 1918 *'' Leptoconops indicus'' (Kieffer), 1918 *'' Leptoconops interruptus'' (Enderlein), 1908 *'' Leptoconops irritans'' (Noè), 1905 *'' Leptoconops kerteszi'' Kieffer, 1908 *'' Leptoconops kinmenensis'' Lien, Lin, Weng and Chin, 1996 *'' Leptoconops knowltoni'' Clastrier and Wirth, 1978 *'' Leptoconops lacteipennis'' Kieffer, 1918 *'' Leptoconops laosensis'' Clastrier, 1974 *'' Leptoconops latibulorum'' Gutsevich, 1973 *'' Leptoconops laurae'' (Weiss), 1912 *'' Leptoconops linleyi'' Wirth and Atchley, 1973 *'' Leptoconops lisbonnei'' Harant and Galan, 1944 *'' Leptoconops longicauda'' Yu, 1997 *'' Leptoconops longicornis'' Carter, 1921 *'' Leptoconops lucidus'' Gutsevich, 1964 *'' Leptoconops mackerrassae'' Smee, 1966 *'' Leptoconops macfiei'' Clastrier, 1975 *'' Leptoconops melanderi'' Wirth and Atchley, 1973 *'' Leptoconops mellori'' Clastrier and Boorman, 1987 *'' Leptoconops mesopotamiensis'' (Patton), 1920 *'' Leptoconops minutus'' Gutsevich, 1973 *'' Leptoconops mohavensis'' Wirth and Atchley, 1973 *'' Leptoconops montanus'' Konurbajev, 1965 *'' Leptoconops montigenus'' Clastrier, 1981 *'' Leptoconops mooloolabaensis'' (Smee), 1966 *'' Leptoconops myersi'' (Tonnoir), 1924 *†'' Leptoconops myanmaricus'' Szadziewski, 2004 *'' Leptoconops nachitschevanicus'' Dzhafarov, 1961 *'' Leptoconops nevilli'' Clastrier, 1981 *'' Leptoconops nicolayi'' de Meillon, 1937 *'' Leptoconops nigripes'' Dzhafarov, 1961 *'' Leptoconops nipponensis'' Tokunaga, 1937 *'' Leptoconops nivalis'' Smee, 1966 *'' Leptoconops noei'' Clastrier and Coluzzi, 1973 *†'' Leptoconops nosopheris'' Poinar, 2008 *'' Leptoconops obscurus'' Smee, 1966 *'' Leptoconops panamensis'' Ronderos and Spinelli, 1993 *'' Leptoconops parvichelus'' Chanthawanich and Delfindao, 1967 *'' Leptoconops patagoniensis'' Ronderos, 1990 *'' Leptoconops pavlovskyi'' Dzhafarov, 1961 *'' Leptoconops peneti'' (Langeron), 1913 *'' Leptoconops petrocchiae'' Shannon and Del Ponte, 1927 *'' Leptoconops primaevus'' Borkent, 1995 *'' Leptoconops pseudosetosifrons'' (Smee), 1966 *'' Leptoconops pugnax'' Clastrier, 1973 *'' Leptoconops reesi'' Clastrier and Wirth, 1978 *'' Leptoconops rhodesiensis'' Carter, 1921 *'' Leptoconops ricardoi'' Ronderos and Spinelli, 1992 *'' Leptoconops riverinaensis'' Smee, 1966 *†'' Leptoconops rossi'' Szadziewski, 2004 *'' Leptoconops rufiventris'' (Kieffer), 1923 *'' Leptoconops setosifrons'' (Smee), 1966 *'' Leptoconops shangweni'' Xu and Yu, 1989 *'' Leptoconops siamensis'' Carter, 1921 *'' Leptoconops sibericus'' Szadziewski, 1996 *'' Leptoconops smeei'' Wirth and Atchley, 1973 *'' Leptoconops spinosifrons'' (Carter), 1921 *'' Leptoconops stygius'' Skuse, 1889 *'' Leptoconops sublettei'' Clastrier and Wirth, 1978 *'' Leptoconops succineus'' Szadziewski, 1988 *'' Leptoconops tarimensis'' Yu, 1982 *'' Leptoconops tenebrostigmatus'' Mazumdar, Saha & Chaudhuri, 2010 *'' Leptoconops tibetensis'' Lee, 1978 *'' Leptoconops torrens'' (Townsend), 1893 *'' Leptoconops transversalis'' (Kieffer), 1921 *'' Leptoconops turkmenicus'' Molotova, 1967 *'' Leptoconops umbellifer'' Clastrier, 1981 *'' Leptoconops vargasi'' Clastrier and Wirth, 1978 *'' Leptoconops venezuelensis'' Ortiz, 1952 *'' Leptoconops vexans'' (Kieffer), 1921 *'' Leptoconops wehaiensis'' Yu and Xue, 1988 *'' Leptoconops werneri'' Wirth and Atchley, 1973 *'' Leptoconops whitseli'' Clastrier and Wirth, 1978 *'' Leptoconops woodhilli'' Lee, 1948 *'' Leptoconops xuthosceles'' Chanthawanich and Delfinado, 1967 *'' Leptoconops yalongensis'' Yu and Wang, 1988 *'' Leptoconops yunhsienensis'' Yu, 1963 *†'' Leptoconops zherikhini'' Szadziewski & Arillo, 2003

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6528016 Chironomoidea genera