The Bibionomorpha are an infraorder of the suborder Nematocera. One of its constituent families, the Anisopodidae, is the presumed sister taxon to the entire suborder Brachycera. Several of the remaining families in the infraorder are former subfamilies of the Mycetophilidae, which has been recently subdivided. The family Axymyiidae has recently been removed from the Bibionomorpha to its own infraorder Axymyiomorpha.
A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some midges, such as many Phlebotominae and Simuliidae, are vectors of various diseases. Many others play useful roles as prey for insectivores, such as various frogs and swallows. Others are important as detritivores, and form part of various nutrient cycles. The habits of midges vary greatly from species to species, though within any particular family, midges commonly have similar ecological roles.
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.
Sciaroidea is a superfamily in the infraorder Bibionomorpha. There are about 16 families and more than 15,000 described species in Sciaroidea. Most of its constituent families are various gnats.
Rhopalomyia is a genus of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are at least 267 described species in Rhopalomyia. Most species in this genus induce galls on plants in the Asteraceae. This genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. Rhopalomyia was first established by Ewald Heinrich Rübsaamen in 1892.
Alycaulini is a tribe of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are about 20 genera and at least 200 described species in Alycaulini.
Catotricha is a genus of midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. The five described species in Catotricha are found in the holarctic region. This genus was established by British entomologist Frederick Wallace Edwards in 1938.
Micromyini is a tribe of wood midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are about 9 genera and at least 30 described species in Micromyini.
Micromyinae is a subfamily of wood midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. Its members were formerly included in subfamily Lestremiinae. There are at least 55 genera and more than 650 described species in Micromyinae. All species in this subfamily are mycophageous.
Amedia is a genus of wood midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. The only described species - Amedia floridana - is only known from Florida. The genus was established by Mathias Jaschhof in 1997.
Amediella is a genus of midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. The one described species - Amediella involuta - is known only from New Zealand.
Mycophila is a genus of wood midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. There are seven described species in Mycophila. The genus was establish by Ephraim Porter Felt in 1911.
Daphnephila is a genus of gall midge that appears in the Palearctic and Oriental biogeographic realms. Daphnephila species create leaf and stem galls on species of laurel plants, particularly in Machilus. Based on analysis on sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, it has been suggested that in this genus, the stem-galling habit is a more ancestral state as opposed to the leaf-galling habit.
Anabremia is a genus of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae.
Raymond J. Gagné is an American entomologist whose work focuses on gall midges.
Trichoceromyia is a genus of midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. There is one described species in this genus: Trichoceromyia oregonensis. It is only known from Oregon.
Antennardia is a genus of midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. The four described species are found in the Holarctic realm. The genus was first described by Boris Mamaev in 1993, but was subsequently treated as a subgenus of Monardia until being reinstated at the genus level.
Berestella is a genus of wood midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. The only described species - Berestella insuperabilis - is only known from Rovno amber from the Late Eocene. The genus was established in 2007 and named for Ukrainian entomologist Zoya L. Berest.
Eltxo is a genus of wood midges in the family Cecidomyiidae. The single described species, Eltxo cretaceus, is only known from amber inclusions from the Lower Cretaceous of Spain.
Gagnea is a genus of wood midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. The one described species - Gagnea tsutaensis - is known only from Japan. The genus was established by Mathias Jaschhof in 2001 and named after American entomologist Raymond Gagné.
