Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Acerentomidae

Acerentomidae

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Family ACERENTOMIDAE


Compiler and date details

W.W.K. Houston, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Introduction

The Acerentomidae is a cosmopolitan family. The body form is slender and the mouth-parts are slender and prolonged. Lacinia of maxillae are long and pointed. Tracheae and thoracic spiracles are absent.

The family was erected by Silvestri (1907) when he described the new order Protura, based on his new genus and species Acerentomon doderoi. Womersley (1927) erected the subfamilies Acerentominae and Meroentomoninae, the latter based on an unnecessary replacement of Protentomon by Meroentomon. Protentomon was restored by Mills (1932) and thus also the subfamily name Protentominae (as Protentomoninae). The subfamily Protentominae was accorded family status by Ewing (1936).

Yin (1984) divided the Acerentomidae and created two new families, Berberentulidae (as Berberentomidae ?lapsus) and Acerellidae. In her classification, two genera found in Australia, Acerentulus and Australentulus, are retained in the Acerentomidae but four other genera, Amphientulus, Baculentulus, Berberentulus and Gracilentulus, are placed in the Berberentulidae. This system, however, is not followed by Imadaté (1991), who retains these genera in the Acerentomidae and whose classification is used in the Catalogue.

The family is represented in Australia by seven genera and 22 described species. At least three species, Acerentulus confinis (Berlese), Berberentulus capensis (Womersley) and Gracilentulus gracilis (Berlese), are probably introduced.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
07-Aug-2012 07-Aug-2012 MOVED
07-Aug-2012 07-Aug-2012 MOVED
12-Feb-2010 (import)