Fuzzy, winged, and delightfully tiny, flies in the genus Pneumia look so much like miniature moths that even experienced observers get tricked! Belonging to the moth fly family (Psychodidae), these true flies don’t have dust-like scales on their wings. Instead, their adorable “furry” look comes from a dense coat of microscopic, parallel hairs covering their bodies and wing veins. Telling individual species apart is an extreme challenge. Scientists often have to clear away their dense facial fluff using chemical solutions just to examine microscopic details like eye structures and antennae! They are also notoriously clumsy fliers; instead of soaring smoothly, they move in brief, hesitant hops along leaves. While their indoor drain fly relatives love plumbing, wild Pneumia species lay eggs in damp stream banks and decaying leaves, where their resilient larvae help filter organic matter. I met this tiny creature close to my home in Barkarby, Sweden, and was completely convinced I was photographing a micro-moth until I took a closer look!