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Glite Dictionary
Mycetophilidae

Mycetophilidae

9.9
Small flies called fungus gnats whose young eat fungi
  • noun
  • /maɪˌsɛtəˈfɪlɪˌdeɪ/
  • Specialized
: Mycetophilidae
  • The Mycetophilidae family includes many species of fungus gnats.

Examples

  • The Mycetophilidae are commonly encountered in damp woodlands where fungi abound.

  • Many species within the Mycetophilidae family are important in the life cycle of forest mushrooms.

  • Entomologists study the Mycetophilidae because of their ecological role in decomposing fungi.

  • Have you ever seen a Mycetophilidae in the garden?

  • Entomologists study the Mycetophilidae because of their ecological role in decomposing fungi.

  • Many species within the Mycetophilidae family are important in the life cycle of forest mushrooms.

  • The Mycetophilidae are commonly encountered in damp woodlands where fungi abound.

Synonyms

fungus gnat
vsMycetophilidae
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A small dark fly whose young eat mushrooms and can damage plant roots

refers specifically to the taxonomic family whose larvae feed mainly on fungi
Mycetophylidae
vsMycetophilidae
  • Specialized
9.9

Small flies called fungus gnats have young that eat fungi and rotting plant material

is the standard spelling used for the same family in this entry

Surface Forms

Mycetophilidae singular
Mycetophilidae plural

Morphology

Mycetophilidae = Mycetophila (opaque) = myceto + phil + idae

Formed from specialized Greek combining forms plus the technical zoological family suffix '-idae', which is not transparent or productive for general learners.

Etymology

Mycetophilidae comes from parts that mean myceto- 'fungus', -phil- 'loving', and -idae 'family'. So it literally means a 'fungus-loving family', which fits these small flies, known as fungus gnats, whose young feed on fungi.