Gnoristinae

fungus gnats

Gnoristinae is a of within the . As of 2019, over 442 have been described across more than 30 , making it one of the most taxonomically challenging groups in Mycetophilidae with species and generic boundaries subject to frequent revision. The subfamily has been characterized as highly diverse with new described annually from various parts of the world. Members are generally small , with some species reaching only 3 mm in body length.

Gnoriste megarrhina by (c) Mark Richman, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Mark Richman. Used under a CC-BY license.

Gnoristinae by (c) Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Gnoriste megarrhina by Mark Richman. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Gnoristinae: /nɔːˈɹɪstɪnaɪ/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Identification to level requires examination of male terminalia . Within Gnoristinae, some show intermediate morphological characteristics between related genera, complicating identification. For example, the genus Coelosynapha exhibits characteristics intermediate between Coelosia and Synapha. Male terminalia in some feature distinctive gonostyles with three blunt, apically. is highly variable within the subfamily and not reliable for identification without additional characters.

Images

Habitat

associations are documented for few . The species Coelosynapha loici has been recorded from pristine, old-growth conifer forests, primarily spruce (Picea abies ssp. obovata), within the vegetation zone. This species has also been found in hummock tundra along the Anadyr River in Far East Russia. Habitat requirements for most species in the remain undocumented.

Distribution

The has a global distribution with new described from various parts of the world. Some show circumpolar, Holarctic distributions, occurring from Fennoscandia to Far East Russia in the Palaearctic Region and across southern Canada in the Nearctic Region. Other genera are distributed in the southern hemisphere, including Austrosynapha.

Human Relevance

No direct human relevance has been documented. The is of interest to dipteran systematists due to its taxonomic complexity and ongoing discovery of new .

Similar Taxa

MycetophilinaeBoth are of ; Gnoristinae is distinguished by male terminalia and is considered more taxonomically challenging with higher rates of new description.
LeiinaeAnother of ; Gnoristinae contains more and and has been subject to more frequent taxonomic revision.

More Details

Taxonomic instability

Gnoristinae has been described as one of the most taxonomically challenging groups in , with counts and generic boundaries subject to almost yearly change. New continue to be described, such as Coelosynapha (2020) and Katatopygia (2012).

Molecular data

has been applied to some members of the , with showing distinct Barcode Index Numbers (BINs). The two species of Coelosynapha are separated by 8.27% p-distance and show closest alignment to unidentified from South Australia and Rica.