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Cecidomyiidae

family

“Gall Midges”, “Cecid Flies”, “Cecids”, “Gall Midges and Wood Midges”

On the Web

On Wikipedia

Cecidomyiidae is a family of flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls. Cecidomyiidae are very fragile small insects usually only 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) in length; many are less than 1 mm (0.039 in) long. They are characterised by hairy wings, unusual in the order Diptera, and have long antennae. Some Cecidomyiids are also known for the strange phenomenon of paedogenesis in which the larval stage reproduces without maturing first. In some species, the daughter larvae consume the mother, while in others, reproduction occurs later on in the egg or pupa.More than 6,000 species and 783 genera are described worldwide, but since 1,100 are from well-studied North America,…