| Canthyloscelidae | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Suborder: | Nematocera |
| Infraorder: | Psychodomorpha |
| Superfamily: | Scatopsoidea |
| Family: | Canthyloscelidae |
| Subfamilies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Canthyloscelididae |
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The Canthyloscelidae are a small family of midges closely related to the Scatopsidae.
Adults are small to medium-sized (2.5-9.0 mm) flies, relatively stout, usually dark coloured Nematocera with stout legs. They are associated with ancient woodland. Larvae are xylosaprophagous and live in the moist, rotting wood of stumps and fallen trees.[1]
Most are considered endangered due to the vulnerability of their habitat.
There are 15 described species worldwide from New Zealand, North America, South America, Japan and Russia. The 3 species in Europe are suspected to be introductions. There is one know fossil species from the Jurassic.
Originally considered to be two separate families, the Synneuridae and the Canthyloscelidae. Haenni [2] placed the Synneuridae as the subfamily Synneurinae. A phylogenetic reclassification by Amorim [3] has reduced the Synneurinae into a synonymy of Canthyloscelinae.