Sciara

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Antliophora
Ordo: Diptera
Subordo: Nematocera
Infraordo: Bibionomorpha
Superfamilia: Sciaroidea

Familia: Sciaridae
Genus: Sciara

Species: S. aemula – S. amabilis – S. analis – S. approximata – S. aquila – S. atratula – S. audax – S. brevifurca – S. diversa – S. dolosa – S. erratica – S. evanescens – S. familiaris – S. festina – S. festiva – S. finitima – S. flavimana – S. flavomarginata – S. frequens – S. froggatti – S. fumipennis – S. helvola – S. hemerobioides – S. humeralis – S. ignobilis – S. infrequens – S. insulana – S. lucidipennis – S. lackschewitzi – S. luctifica – S. luculenta – S. macleayi – S. maesta – S. melanostyla – S. mendax – S. militaris – S. minutela – S. montivaga – S. multispinulosa – S. nepalensis – S. notata – S. nubicula – S. ornatula – S. pernitida – S. pictipes – S. ruficauda – S. scitula – S. sedula – S. sororia – S. spectabilis – S. thoracica – S. turgidula – S. unica – S. vecors – S. winnertzi

Species incertae sedis: S. glacialis - S. septemtrionalis

Check: S. womersleyi
Name

Sciara Meigen, 1803
Gender: feminine
Type species: Tipula thomae Linnaeus, 1767

Synonyms

Lycoria Meigen, 1800
Molobrus Latreille, 1805
Nowickia Kjellander, 1943
Nowickiana Kjellander, 1943
Semisciara Kjellander, 1943

Primary references

Meigen, J. 1803. Versuch einer neuen Gattungseintheilung der europäischen zweiflügeligen Insekten. Magazin für Insektenkunde 2: 259–281. BHL. Reference page.

References

Menzel, F. & Mohrig, W. (2000). Revision der paläarktischen Trauermücken (Diptera: Sciaridae) - Studia Dipterologica - Supplement, 6 (1999): 1–761
Vilkamaa, P., Hippa, H. & Mohrig, W. 2015. The genus Sciara Meigen (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Caledonia, with the description of two new species. Zootaxa 3974(4): 589–594. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3974.4.10 Preview (PDF). Reference page.
Johannsen O.A., 1929a. A new species of Sciara from Canada (Diptera). Canad. Ent., 61:223-224.

Sciara is a genus of fungus gnats in the family Sciaridae.[2]

Species
Sciara analis Schiner, 1864
Sciara species. Dorsal view

Sciara is among the largest genus in the world, with over 700 species. Species within this genus include:[3][4]

Sciara abbreviata
Sciara abdita
Sciara adjuncta
Sciara aemula
Sciara aethiops
Sciara africana
Sciara albicoxa
Sciara albifrons
Sciara amabilis
Sciara analis
Sciara angustata
Sciara antigua
Sciara antonovae
Sciara approximata
Sciara aquila
Sciara arcuata
Sciara aspirans
Sciara atomaria
Sciara atrata
Sciara atratula
Sciara atrifrons
Sciara attenuata
Sciara audax
Sciara aurosa
Sciara barnardi
Sciara biformata
Sciara bispinosa
Sciara borealis
Sciara brevifurca
Sciara brevipetiolata
Sciara bullastylata
Sciara cameronensis
Sciara capensis
Sciara cavicata
Sciara cingulata
Sciara clavata
Sciara colorata
Sciara columbiana
Sciara compacta
Sciara concinna
Sciara confusa
Sciara congregata
Sciara conjuncta
Sciara consanguinea
Sciara contermina
Sciara conulifera
Sciara convergens
Sciara copiosa
Sciara costalis
Sciara costata
Sciara crassicornis
Sciara curvinervis
Sciara cylindrica
Sciara delessei
Sciara denticornis
Sciara diacantha
Sciara diderma
Sciara differens
Sciara dimidiata
Sciara diminutiva
Sciara diota
Sciara dissimilis
Sciara distigma
Sciara distinguenda
Sciara divergens
Sciara diversa
Sciara diversipes
Sciara dives
Sciara dolicholabis
Sciara dolosa
Sciara erratica
Sciara esuriens
Sciara evanescens
Sciara exigua
Sciara exilis
Sciara exposita
Sciara exsequialis
Sciara familiaris
Sciara fasciata
Sciara fascipennis
Sciara femoralis
Sciara femorata
Sciara festina
Sciara festiva
Sciara finitima
Sciara flammiventris
Sciara flavicollis
Sciara flavicoxis
Sciara flavimana
Sciara flavipeura
Sciara flaviseta
Sciara flavofemorata
Sciara flavomarginata
Sciara flavoscutellata
Sciara fletcherae
Sciara foliorum
Sciara fratercula
Sciara fraterna
Sciara frequens
Sciara froggatti
Sciara fuliginosus
Sciara fumipennis
Sciara funebris
Sciara fuscipennis
Sciara fuscolimbata
Sciara futilis
Sciara globosa
Sciara griseicollis
Sciara grzegorseki
Sciara habilis
Sciara hebes
Sciara helmsi
Sciara helvola
Sciara hemerobioides
Sciara hendersoni
Sciara heteroptera
Sciara heteropus
Sciara hirtilineata
Sciara hirtilineatoides
Sciara horrescens
Sciara humeralis
Sciara hyalinata
Sciara ignobilis
Sciara incerta
Sciara inconstans
Sciara indica
Sciara infantula
Sciara infirma
Sciara infixa
Sciara infrequens
Sciara isarthria
Sciara isopalpi
Sciara jacobsoni
Sciara japonica
Sciara jeanneli
Sciara karnyi
Sciara khasiensis
Sciara kinabaluana
Sciara kitakamiensis
Sciara lackschewitzi
Sciara lamprina
Sciara latelineata
Sciara latipons
Sciara leucocera
Sciara ligniperda
Sciara longipes
Sciara lucidipennis
Sciara lucipeta
Sciara luctifica
Sciara luculenta
Sciara lumuensis
Sciara lurida
Sciara luteiventris
Sciara luteolamellata
Sciara macleayi
Sciara maculithorax
Sciara maesta
Sciara mahensis
Sciara maolana
Sciara marcilla
Sciara marginalis
Sciara marginata
Sciara mediofusca
Sciara medullaris
Sciara melaleuca
Sciara melanostyla
Sciara mendax
Sciara microtricha
Sciara migrator
Sciara militaris
Sciara militarsis
Sciara minutela
Sciara modesta
Sciara monacantha
Sciara montivaga
Sciara multispinulosa
Sciara nemoralis
Sciara neorufescens
Sciara nepalensis
Sciara nigrans
Sciara nigrifemur
Sciara nigripennis
Sciara nigripes
Sciara nigrita
Sciara nigropicea
Sciara nitidithorax
Sciara nitulina
Sciara nivata
Sciara niveiapicalis
Sciara nivicola
Sciara notata
Sciara nowickii
Sciara nubicula
Sciara ochrolabis
Sciara opposita
Sciara ornatula
Sciara pahangensis
Sciara pakkana
Sciara pallescens
Sciara palliceps
Sciara parallela
Sciara patricii
Sciara pectilinealis
Sciara penicillata
Sciara pernitida
Sciara perpusilla
Sciara philippinensis
Sciara philpotti
Sciara pictipes
Sciara polita
Sciara politula
Sciara praescellens
Sciara prominens
Sciara promiscua
Sciara pruinosa
Sciara psittacus
Sciara pubescens
Sciara pulicaria
Sciara pycnacantha
Sciara pygmaea
Sciara quadrimaculata
Sciara ratana
Sciara reciproca
Sciara recondita
Sciara recta
Sciara remyi
Sciara rimiscutellata
Sciara robusta
Sciara rotunda
Sciara rotundipennis
Sciara rufa
Sciara ruficauda
Sciara satiata
Sciara schmidbergeri
Sciara schultzei
Sciara sciastica
Sciara sciophila
Sciara scita
Sciara scitula
Sciara sclerocerci
Sciara sedula
Sciara segetum
Sciara segmenticornis
Sciara selangoriana
Sciara selecta
Sciara selliformis
Sciara septentrionalis
Sciara serenipennis
Sciara sericata
Sciara setilineata
Sciara seychellensis
Sciara simulator
Sciara singhalensis
Sciara sororia
Sciara speciosa
Sciara spectabilis
Sciara speculum
Sciara stigmatopleura
Sciara suavis
Sciara subfascipennis
Sciara subrunnipes
Sciara sumatrana
Sciara tenompokensis
Sciara tepperi
Sciara tetraleuca
Sciara thomsoni
Sciara thoracica
Sciara townesi
Sciara transpacifica
Sciara trileucarthra
Sciara tryoni
Sciara turrida
Sciara uichancoi
Sciara ulrichi
Sciara unica
Sciara unicolor
Sciara unicorn
Sciara varipes
Sciara vecors
Sciara vicina
Sciara winnertzi
Sciara viridipes
Sciara womersleyi
Sciara vulgaris
Sciara vulpina
Sciara xizangana
Sciara yadongana
Sciara zalampra
Sciara zealandica
Sciara zygocera

Description

The adult fly is small, up to 3 mm, has a dark brown body, small head and its legs and wings are comparatively long, looking like a mosquito.
Biology

These insects feed on decaying organic matter and fungi. They are often found in greenhouses. Their larvae are up to 6 mm long, white, slender and legless, with a black head and smooth semi-transparent skin which reveals the contents of the digestive tract.

Sex determination in Sciara is a different mechanism. Sciara basically has 4 pairs of chromosomes 3 pairs of autosomes and one pair of allosomes. Some special chromosomes called limited chromosomes are present in certain stages. The zygote has 3 pairs of autosomes a one or more limited chromosomes and 3 X chromosome (2 fathers’, 1 mother's). There are 2 stages in Sciara: the Germ line and the Somaline.[5][6]
Germ line

The Germ line is the gametic line where the gamete formation takes place. The number of chromosomes during this line is different in males and females.

In the formation sperms of males the 1st spermatocystic division is monocentric mitosis, the maternal and paternal homologous chromosomes are separated. Then few limited chromosomes are eliminated not all of them. After this one paternal X chromosome is also eliminated. Hence male germ line (spermatogonia) cells have 3 pairs of autosomes, 2 (one maternal and one paternal) X chromosomes and a few limited chromosomes.

In the formation ova of the females the 1st ovarian division is monocentric mitosis, the maternal and paternal homologous chromosomes are separated. Then few limited chromosomes are eliminated not all of them. After this both 2 paternal X chromosome are also eliminated. Hence female germ line (oogonia) cells have 3 pairs of autosomes, 1 maternal X chromosomes and a few limited chromosomes.
Soma line

Soma line is the vegetative stage. During early cleavage stages of the embryo limited chromosomes are eliminated. The number of chromosomes during this line is different in males and females.

In males during the 5th and 6th divisions of the embryo all the limited chromosomes are eliminated. Then paternal X chromosome is eliminated which are 2 in number. Hence male soma line cells have 3 pairs of autosomes and one maternal X chromosome.

In the females during the 5th and 6th divisions of the embryo all the limited chromosomes are eliminated. In the next stage of cleavage one paternal X chromosome is eliminated. Hence female soma line cells have 3 pairs of autosomes and one maternal and one paternal X chromosome.
Bibliography

Pettey, F. W., 1918. A revision of the genus Sciara of the family Mycetophilidae (Diptera). Ann. Ent. Soc. America, vol. 11 no. 4.
Ruiz MF et al. - An Unusual Role for doublesex in Sex Determination in the Dipteran Sciara- Genetics. (2015)
Vilkamaa P et al - The genus Sciara Meigen (Diptera, Sciaridae) in New Caledonia, with the description of two new species - Zootaxa. (2015)

References
Fauna eureopaea
BioLib
Catalogue of life
Heller, K., Vilkamaa, P. & Hippa, H. 2009 - An annotated check list of Swedish black fungus gnats (Diptera, Sciaridae). Sahlbergia Vol. 15(1): 23-51.
Unique Biological Features of Sciara in Sciara Stock Center
Sciara Genome in Sciara Stock Center