The
Anisopodidae are a small
cosmopolitan family of
gnat-like
flies known as
wood gnats or
window-gnats, with 154 described
extant species in 15 genera, and several described fossil taxa. Some species are
saprophagous or
fungivorous. They are mostly small to medium-sized flies, except the genera
Olbiogaster and
Lobogaster, which are large with bizarrely spatulated abdomens. Their phylogenetic placement is controversial. They have been proposed to be the sister group to the higher flies, the
Brachycera. Some authors consider this group to be four distinct families – Anisopodidae, Mycetobiidae, Olbiogastridae, and Valeseguyidae.