Limoniinae


The Limoniinae are a paraphyletic assemblage of genera within the crane flies, Tipulidae, although they can usually be distinguished by the way the wings are held at rest. Limoniines usually hold/fold the wings along the back of the body, whereas other tipulids usually hold them out at right angles. Snow flies such as Chionea scita have no wings at all. Limoniines are also usually smaller than other tipulids, with some exceptions. Limoniinae are a very large assemblage with nearly 10500 described species in 133 genera, and were historically treated as a subfamily, but their classification is in flux; numerous authors recently treated the group at the rank of family, but subsequent phylogenetic analyses revealed that the remaining groups of tipulids render the group paraphyletic. These flies are found in damp places throughout the world, and many species form dense swarms in suitable habitats.

Description

For terms see Morphology of Diptera
Limoniines are medium or small-sized, rarely large. The proboscis or rostrum lacks a beak. The apical segment of the maxillary palpi is short and never longer than subapical one. The antennae are, in most species, 14- or 16-segmented, usually verticillate and only exceptionally ctenidial or serrate. There is a distinct V-shaped suture between the mesonotal prescutum and scutum. The wings are monochromatic or punctate and. sometimes shortened or reduced. The subcosta always fuses with the costa through Sc1. Radial vein R2 does not fuse with the costa, as in most other Tipulidae, but with radial vein R3. The radial sector Rs has one or two forks.Additional crossveins are sometimes present in cells r3 an1 and m. Cells m1 and d often not present. The genitalia of males have large separated gonocoxis and one or two pairs of appendages which are sometimes greatly folded. The ovipositor of the female has sclerotized cerci.

Biology

Mostly, larvae are aquatic or semi-aquatic. Most other Tipulidae larvae in comparison, are terrestrial though some are aquatic and found in huge numbers in lotic habitats like the limoniine larvae. Various species have evolved to feed on different food sources, so phytophagous, saprophagous, mycetophagous and predatory species occur.
Limoniines occupy a wide range of habitats and micro habitats: in earth rich in humus, in swamps and marshes, in leaf litter and in wet spots in woods ; in dry to saturated decaying wood in streams, where the larvae feed on fungal mycelia ; in decaying plant materials,in woody and fleshy fungi ; in fresh water, especially rapidly flowing streams ; intertidal zones and brackish water ; steep cliff faces supporting a constantly wet film of algae ; in moist to wet cushions of mosses or liverworts growing on rocks or earth.

Species lists

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Limoniines are not particularly common in amber deposits, but a few finds suggest the family has been extant since the Jurassic period.

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