The Nematocera (the name meaning "thread-horns") are a suborder of elongated

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...

with thin, segmented antennae and mostly aquatic

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e. This group is

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

and contains all flies except for species from suborder

Brachycera The Brachycera are a suborder of the order Diptera. It is a major suborder consisting of around 120 families. Their most distinguishing characteristic is reduced antenna segmentation. Description A summary of the main physical characteristic ...

(the name meaning "short-horns"), which includes more commonly known species such as the

housefly The housefly (''Musca domestica'') is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha. It possibly originated in the Middle East, and Cosmopolitan distribution, spread around the world as a commensal of humans. Adults are gray to black, with four dark, lo ...

or the common fruit fly. The equivalent

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

to Nematocera is the whole Diptera, with Brachycera as a subclade. Families in Nematocera include

mosquitoes Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a family of small flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by '' mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mosquitoes have a slender segmented body, ...

crane flies A crane fly is any member of the dipteran superfamily Tipuloidea, which contains the living families Cylindrotomidae, Limoniidae, Pediciidae and Tipulidae, as well as several extinct families. "Winter crane flies", members of the family T ...

gnat GNAT is a free-software compiler for the Ada programming language which forms part of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC). It supports all versions of the language, i.e. Ada 2012, Ada 2005, Ada 95 and Ada 83. Originally its ...

black flies A black fly or blackfly (sometimes called a buffalo gnat, turkey gnat, or white socks) is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. It is related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Thaumaleidae. Over 2,200 speci ...

, and multiple families commonly known as

midge A midge is any small fly, including species in several family (biology), families of non-mosquito nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid ...

s. The Nematocera typically have fairly long, fine, finely-jointed antennae. In many species, such as most mosquitoes, the female antennae are more or less threadlike, but the males have spectacularly plumose antennae. The larvae of most families of Nematocera are aquatic, either free-swimming, rock-dwelling, plant-dwelling, or luticolous. Some families however, are not aquatic; for instance the

Tipulidae Tipulidae is a family of large Crane fly, crane flies in the order Diptera. There are more than 30 genera and 4,200 described species in Tipulidae, common and widespread throughout the world. A crane fly can be identified as a member of Tipuli ...

tend to be soil-dwelling and the

Mycetophilidae Mycetophilidae is a family of small flies, forming the bulk of those species known as fungus gnats. About 3000 described species are placed in 150 genera, but the true number of species is undoubtedly much higher. They are generally found in the ...

feed on fungi such as mushrooms. Unlike most of the Brachycera, the larvae of Nematocera have distinct heads with mouthparts that may be modified for filter feeding or chewing, depending on their lifestyles. The

pupa A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

e are orthorrhaphous which means that adults emerge from the pupa through a straight, longitudinal seam in the dorsal surface of the pupal cuticle. The bodies and

legs A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element cap ...

of most adult Nematocera are elongated, and many species have relatively long abdomens. Males of many species form mating swarms like faint pillars of smoke, competing for females that visit the cloud of males to find a mate.

Families

These families belong to the suborder Nematocera: *

Anisopodidae The Anisopodidae are a small cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family (biology), family of gnat-like Fly, flies known as wood gnats or window-gnats, with 154 described Extant taxon, extant species in 15 genera, and several described fossil ...

Knab, 1912 - wood gnats or window-gnats *

Axymyiidae The Nematoceran family Axymyiidae is the sole member of the infraorder Axymyiomorpha, though it is often included within the infraorder Bibionomorpha in older classifications. It is known from only nine species in four genera, plus eight fossil ...

Shannon, 1921 *

Bibionidae Bibionidae (March flies) is a Family (biology), family of Fly, flies (Fly, Diptera) containing approximately 650–700 species worldwide. Adults are nectar feeders and emerge in numbers in spring. Because of the likelihood of adult flies being f ...

Fleming, 1821 - march flies and love bugs *

Blephariceridae The Blephariceridae, commonly known as net-winged midges, are a nematoceran family in the order Diptera. The adults resemble crane flies except with a projecting anal angle in the wings, and different head shape, absence of the V on the mesonotum, ...

Loew, 1861 - net-winged midges * Bolitophilidae Winnertz, 1863 * Canthyloscelididae Enderlein, 1912 *

Cecidomyiidae Cecidomyiidae is a family of diptera, flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls. Cecidomyiidae are very fragile small in ...

Newman, 1835 - gall midges or gall gnats *

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 ...

Newman, 1834 - biting midges *

Chaoboridae Chaoboridae, commonly known as phantom midges or glassworms, is a family of fairly common midges with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are closely related to the Corethrellidae and Chironomidae; the adults are differentiated through peculiariti ...

Newman, 1834 - phantom midges *

Chironomidae Chironomidae , commonly known as non-biting midges or chironomids , are a family of Nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the families Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Although many chironomid ...

Newman, 1834 - chironomids or nonbiting midges *

Corethrellidae Corethrellidae are a family of biting midges, small flying insects belonging to the order Diptera, females of which feed on the blood of frogs. The members of the family are sometimes known as frog-biting midges. The family currently consists of ...

Edwards, 1932 - frog-biting midges *

Culicidae Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

Meigen, 1818 - mosquitoes *

Cylindrotomidae The Cylindrotomidae or long-bodied craneflies are a family of Tipulomorpha, crane flies. More than 65 extant species in 9 genera occur worldwide. There are more than 20 extinct species. Most recent classifications place the group to family leve ...

Schiner, 1863 - cylindrotomid crane flies *

Deuterophlebiidae ''Deuterophlebia'', also known as mountain midges are a genus of flies that are the sole living members of the small family Deuterophlebiidae. Adults have broad, fan-shaped wings, and males have extremely long antennae which they employ when con ...

Edwards, 1922 - mountain midges *

Diadocidiidae The Diadocidiidae are a Family (biology), family of fly, flies (Diptera), containing one extant genus with over 20 species and one extinct genus. Diadocidiidae are found worldwide, except in Africa and Antarctica. They are usually considered close ...

Winnertz, 1863 * Ditomyiidae Keilin, 1919 *

Dixidae The Dixidae (meniscus midges) are a family of aquatic nematoceran flies (Diptera). The larvae live in unpolluted, standing fresh waters, just beneath the surface film, usually amongst marginal aquatic vegetation. They are found in all continents ...

Schiner, 1868 - meniscus midges * Hesperinidae Schiner, 1864 *

Keroplatidae Keroplatidae is a family of small flies known as fungus gnats. About 950 species are described, but the true number of species is undoubtedly much higher. The long-beaked fungus gnats, formerly placed in a separate family Lygistorrhinidae, hav ...

Rondani, 1856 - predatory fungus gnats *

Limoniidae Limoniidae is the largest of four crane fly families, with more than 10,700 species in more than 150 genera. Some studies have suggested it to be a paraphyletic group, with some limoniids being more closely related to Tipulidae and Cylindrotomida ...

Rondani, 1856 - limoniid crane flies *

Lygistorrhinidae Lygistorrhininae, commonly called long-beaked fungus gnats is a subfamily of flies in the Diptera family Keroplatidae Keroplatidae is a family of small flies known as fungus gnats. About 950 species are described, but the true number of spec ...

Edwards, 1925 - long-beaked fungus gnats *

Newman, 1834 - fungus gnats *

Nymphomyiidae The Nymphomyiidae are a family of tiny (2 mm) slender, delicate flies (Diptera). Larvae are found among aquatic mosses in small, rapid streams in northern regions of the world, including northeastern North America, Japan, the Himalayas, and ...

Tokunaga, 1932 * Pachyneuridae Schiner, 1864 *

Pediciidae The Pediciidae or hairy-eyed craneflies are a family of flies closely related to true crane flies, with about 500 species worldwide. Description Pediciidae are medium-sized to large (, '' Dicranota''; , '' Pedicia'') flies which resemble Tip ...

Osten Sacken, 1859 - hairy-eyed crane flies *

Perissommatidae The Perissommatidae are a family of flies (Diptera) that was proposed in 1962 by Donald Colless based on the species ''Perissomma fusca'' from Australia. The family now includes five extant species within the single genus ''Perissomma'', four fro ...

Colless, 1962 *

Psychodidae Psychodidae, also called drain flies, sink flies, filter flies, sewer flies, or sewer gnats, is a Family (biology), family of Fly, true flies. Some genera have short, hairy bodies and wings, giving them a "furry" moth-like appearance, hence one ...

Newman, 1834 - moth flies or drain flies *

Ptychopteridae The Ptychopteridae, phantom crane flies, are a small family (three extant genera) of nematocerous Diptera. Superficially similar in appearance to other "tipuloid" families, they lack the ocelli of the Trichoceridae, the five-branched radial vein ...

Osten Sacken, 1862 - phantom crane flies *

Rangomaramidae Rangomaramidae is a family of flies in the infraorder Bibionomorpha. The family, members of which are known as long-winged fungus gnats, was erected in 2002 by Jaschhof and Didham to include five new species of flies in the genus ''Rangomarama ...

Jaschhof & Didham, 2002 *

Scatopsidae __NOTOC__ The minute black scavenger flies or "dung midges", are a family, Scatopsidae, of nematoceran fly, flies. Despite being distributed throughout the world, they form a small family with only around 250 described species in 27 genera, altho ...

Newman, 1834 - minute black scavenger flies or dung midges *

Sciaridae The Sciaridae are a family of fly, flies, commonly known as dark-winged fungus gnats. Commonly found in moist environments, they are known to be a pest of mushroom farms and are commonly found in household plant pots. This is one of the least s ...

Billberg, 1820 - dark-winged fungus gnats *

Simuliidae A black fly or blackfly (sometimes called a buffalo gnat, turkey gnat, or white socks) is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. It is related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Thaumaleidae. Over 2,200 spe ...

Newman, 1834 - black flies *

Tanyderidae Tanyderidae, sometimes called primitive crane flies, are long, thin, delicate flies with spotted wings, superficially similar in appearance to some Tipulidae, Trichoceridae, and Ptychopteridae. Most species are restricted in distribution. The ...

Osten Sacken, 1880 - primitive crane flies *

Thaumaleidae Thaumaleidae, the solitary midges or trickle midges, are a group of nematoceran flies related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and the Simuliidae. They are small, stocky, yellow to brown flies (3–4 mm). Very few species are known fo ...

Bezzi, 1913 - trickle midges *

Latreille, 1802 - large crane flies *

Trichoceridae Trichoceridae, or winter crane flies, of the order Diptera are long, thin, delicate insects superficially similar in appearance to the Tipulidae, Tanyderidae, and Ptychopteridae. The presence of ocelli distinguishes the Trichoceridae from these ...

Rondani, 1841 - winter crane flies *

Valeseguyidae Valeseguyidae is a family of flies, belonging to Scatopsoidea. It contains only one known extant species, ''Valeseguya rieki'', known from a single male specimen found in Victoria, Australia, described in 1990. It was initially classified as a m ...

Amorim & Grimaldi, 2006 * † Ansorgiidae Krzemiñski & Lukashevich, 1993 * †

Antefungivoridae Antefungivoridae is an extinct family of fungus gnats and gall midges in the order Diptera. There are about 9 genera and more than 40 described species in Antefungivoridae. Genera These nine genera belong to the family Antefungivoridae: * † '' ...

Rohdendorf, 1938 * †

Archizelmiridae Archizelmiridae is an extinct family of flies, known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. It belongs to the Sciaroidea, and has suggested to have a close relationship with Sciaridae. Genera * '' Archimelzira'' Grimaldi et al. 2003 New Je ...

Rohdendorf, 1962 * † Asiochaoboridae Hong & Wang, 1990 * † Boholdoyidae Kovalev, 1985 * † Cascopleciidae Poinar Jr., 2010 * † Crosaphididae Kovalev, 1983 * † Elliidae Krzeminska, Blagoderov & Krezmiñski, 1993 * † Eoditomyiidae Ansorge, 1996 * † Eopolyneuridae Rohdendorf, 1962 * † Grauvogeliidae Krzemiñski, 1999 * † Hennigmatidae Shcherbakov, 1995 * † Heterorhyphidae Ansorge & Krzemiñski, 1995 * † Hyperpolyneuridae Rohdendorf, 1962 * † Luanpingitidae Zhang, 1986 * † Mesosciophilidae Rohdendorf, 1946 * † Nadipteridae Lukashevich, 1995 * † Palaeophoridae Rohdendorf, 1951 * † Paraxymyiidae Rohdendorf, 1946 * † Pleciofungivoridae Rohdendorf, 1946 * † Procramptonomyiidae Kovalev, 1983 * † Protendipedidae Rohdendorf, 1951 * † Protopleciidae Rohdendorf, 1946 * † Protorhyphidae Handlirsch, 1906 * † Protoscatopsidae Rohdendorf, 1946 * † Serendipidae Evenhuis, 1994 * † Siberhyphidae Kovalev, 1985 * †

Strashilidae Strashilidae is an extinct family of Jurassic flies from Siberia and China. They were originally believed to represent a distinct order called Nakridletia, but subsequent research determined that they were nematoceran flies related to the extant ...

Rasnitsyn, 1992 * † Tanyderophrynidae Rohdendorf, 1962 * † Tethepomyiidae Grimaldi & Arillo, 2009 * † Tillyardipteridae Lukashevich & Shcherbakov, 1999 * † Tipulodictyidae Rohdendorf, 1962 * † Tipulopleciidae Rohdendorf, 1962 * † Vladipteridae Shcherbakov, 1995

References

* Borror, D. J., DeLong, D. M., Triplehorn, C. A.(1976) Fourth edition. ''An introduction to the study of insects''. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. New York, Chicago. * Arnett, R. H. Jr. (2000) Second edition. ''American insects''. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Londres, New York, Washington, D. C.

External links

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