MOTH FLY

any member of the family Psychodidae (order Diptera), commonly found around the openings of drain pipes. No more than 5 millimetres (0.2 inch) long, these flies, with broad hairy wings that are held rooflike over the body when at rest, resemble tiny moths. The larvae, which feed on decaying matter, inhabit drain pipes regardless of the temperature of the entering water. Most species are harmless, but there are bloodsucking members, sometimes classified separately as the family Phlebotomidae, commonly called sand flies (see sand fly).