Introduktion och tribusnyckel till svenska gallmyggor (Cecidomyiidae) i Micromyinae och Lestremiinae

Gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) are one of the most common animal groups in the world, and one of the least studied. Few people even know of their existence and even among entomologists only a handful of people have studied them. Maybe the least studied group within this understudied group are the mycophagous gall midges. We know very little of this group, even its basic ecology is uncertain. In this paper I am focusing on two early branches amongst the mycophagous gall midges: Lestremiinae and Micromyinae. I will summarize what is known about their ecology and phylogenetic relationships. With the help of DNA barcoding and morphological studies I have constructed a new key to sort out Lestremiinae and Micromyinae from other gall midges and a key to all tribes within the two subfamilies. The key is based on previous keys and modified with the goal of simplifying the identification process. An updated list of genera and number of species for Sweden and the world is included. With these new keys anyone should be able to identify mycophagous gall midges, something very few people today can do. This will enable more people to contribute to the field. During the study I also found a method that made it possible to morphologically study gall midges after DNA extraction, something that hasn’t been done previously. This will make it easier to combine morphological and molecular methods in the study of gall midges, something that is important for all organisms but crucial in a group this large and with small morphological differences between species.