Psychodidae

Definition

A family of minute Nematoceran flies (order Diptera) characterized by densely hairy or setose bodies and wings that give adults a moth-like appearance. Larvae are typically aquatic or semiaquatic, inhabiting films of algae, bacteria, or decaying organic matter in drains, seeps, and tree holes. The family includes economically and medically significant subfamilies: Psychodinae (moth flies or drain flies, nuisance pests of plumbing systems) and Phlebotominae (sand flies, vectors of Leishmania, Bartonella, and arboviruses).

Etymology

From Psychoda (type genus, from Greek psyche 'breath, butterfly, moth' + -oda 'resembling') + -idae (family suffix)

Example

Psychodidae larvae colonizing the gelatinous biofilm of a clogged floor drain pupate in the film surface, emerging as adults that accumulate on bathroom walls.

Synonyms

• moth flies (common name for Psychodinae)
• drain flies
• sand flies (common name for Phlebotominae)

Related Terms

• Phlebotominae
• Psychodinae
• Nematocera
• Diptera
• leishmaniasis
• vector biology
• filter flies

Usage Notes

Common names are highly regional and ambiguous: 'sand fly' also applies to Ceratopogonidae (no-see-ums) and Tabanidae in different locales; 'moth fly' refers specifically to the moth-like Psychodinae, not the entire family. The family is cosmopolitan but species-level identification requires slide-mounted genitalia or larval chaetotaxy. Adults are weak fliers with reduced wing venation; they are not the 'drain flies' of plumbing trade literature, which sometimes includes Drosophilidae or Ephydridae.