Limoniidae
| Limoniidae | |
|---|---|
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| Limonia nubeculosa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Suborder: | Nematocera |
| Infraorder: | Tipulomorpha |
| Superfamily: | Tipuloidea |
| Family: | Limoniidae |
| Subfamilies | |
| Diversity | |
| ca. 150 genera | |
Limoniidae is a family of flies closely related to the crane flies Tipulidae although they can usually be distinguished by the way the wings are held at rest. Limoniids usually hold/fold the wings along the back of the body whereas tipulids usually hold them out at right angles. Members of the genus Chionea (snow flies) have no wings at all. Limoniids are also usually smaller than tipulids, although there are exceptions. Limoniidae is a very large family with nearly 10500 described species in 133 genera. These flies are found in damp places throughout the world and many species form dense swarms in suitable habitats.
Mostly, larvae are aquatic or semi-aquatic. The majority of Tipulidae larvae in comparison, are terrestrial though some are aquatic and found in huge numbers in lotic habitats like the limoniid larvae. Various species have evolved to feed on different food sources so there are phytophagous, saprophagous, mycetophagous and predatory species.
Limoniids are not particularly common in amber deposits but a few finds (e.g. Tipunia intermedia Krzeminski & Ansorge, 1995 from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen limestones) suggest the family has been extant since the Jurassic period.
[edit] Gallery
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Family description
- Catalogue of the crane flies of the world
- Fossil Diptera catalog
- Diptera.info Images
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