Family ANTIPODOECIIDAE

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Family ANTIPODOECIIDAE

Introduction

Once considered a monotypic Australian family, in 2018, it was synonymised with the Neotropical family Anomalopsyche by St Clair et al. (2018),
The Australian species is small (wing span 8–10 mm) and dark coloured species and occurs in eastern Australia.
Dean (2000) provided preliminary keys for identification of late instar larvae and St Clair et al. (2018) redescribed the adult males and females and gave detailed, comprehensively illustrated descriptions of the immature stages.

Diagnosis

Adult: ocelli absent. Maxillary palpi 3-segmented in male, curved and held upright in front of the face, apical segment short; in female maxillary palpi 5-segmented. Antennae about as long as the forewing, basal segment slightly shorter than the head, posterior setal warts large, rounded. Mesoscutum setal warts if present, then small, oval, often indistinct, or entirely absent; scutellum with a single median, dome shaped wart. Wings slender, pointed apically; discoidal and median cells absent; large hyaline area in centre of wing at anastomosis; hindwing with sparse long bristles along basal half of anterior margin.

Tibial spurs 2: 2: 4; the mid-leg with a row of short, dark spines on femur, tibia and tarsus.

Larva: head in frontal view almost circular, frontoclypeal apotome broad, antennae about midway between eyes and the anterior margin of the head capsule; labrum prominent; ventral apotome indistinct, triangular, genae almost abutting at occipital foramen. Pronotal sclerite with anterolateral angles distinctly extended, acute; meso- and metanotal sclerites indistinct, legs stout. Abdominal gills and lateral setal fringe absent; anal prolegs usually with one accessory hook. Larval case tubular, slightly curved, constructed of small sand grains.