Dark-winged fungus gnat

Appearance

They have slender, darkly coloured bodies and dark wings.
Body length of 4.0 to 5.0 millimeters. The body and wings are black, the intersegmental membranes on the abdomen are bright yellow in color. The cells at the edge of the wing have groups of small bristles. The wing vein M2 is strongly "S" -shaped curved. The stem of the vein is shorter than its fork.

Distribution

The animals are widespread and common in Europe.

Behavior

A pest of mushroom farms and are commonly found in household plant pots.
The damaging larval stage can be controlled using the beneficial nematode Steinernema feltiae, which enters the larva and releases a bacterium that kills the insect. The nematode then reproduces within the larva and its young are released into the growing medium, where they actively search out new host larvae.

Habitat

Forests, swamps, and moist meadows, where they live in the foliage. The adults fly in July and August and are very common locally, especially on umbellifers.
Sciarid larvae are mainly found in soil and plant litter, where they seem to feed mainly on fungi and animal faeces. Also, some species mine in plant parts above and below the earth. The larvae play an important role in turning forest leaf litter into soil.