Kingdom Animalia Suborder Nematocera Superfamily Scatopsoidea Rank Family | Class Insecta Infraorder Psychodomorpha Phylum Arthropoda Order Fly | |
Similar Cypselosomatidae, Hilarimorphidae, Neurochaetidae, Apsilocephalidae, Xenasteiidae | ||
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.
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.
Systematics
Originally considered to be two separate families, the Synneuridae and the Canthyloscelidae. Haenni placed the Synneuridae as the subfamily Synneurinae. A phylogenetic reclassification by Amorim has reduced the Synneurinae into a synonymy of Canthyloscelinae.