Family BOURLETIELLIDAE Börner, 1913

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• Bourletiellidae Börner, C. 1913. Die Familien der Collembolen. Zoologischer Anzeiger 41: 315–322 [322].

Introduction

This family was recognised as a subfamily in Richards' (1968) revision but is treated here a family following Betsch (1980), who raised Richards' seven subfamilies to family status. There are ten genera and 25 species in Australia in the family in Australia.

Four genera of Australian Bourletiellidae include only exotic species. They are Bourletiella Banks, Deuterosminthurus Börner, Fasciosminthurus Gisin and Pseudobourletiella Stach, the latter genus, with only a single species, being unusual for the family as it is only found on the surface of still fresh water. Three genera are endemic and not found outside Australia. They are Bourletides Betsch & Massoud, Nasosminthurus Stach and Aneuempodialis Stach with one, four and two species respectively. Corynephoria Absolon and Rastriopes Börner are found in Indonesia and tropical regions respectively. Both genera include many undescribed species in Australia in several different species groups. Corynephoria is only found on native grasses, mostly in arid and semi-arid areas, but at least one species is found in montane areas, also on native grasses. Rastriopes species are also found on low native shrubs as well as grasses. Both these genera possess adaptations which enable them to tolerate dry conditions having tracheae and a coarse cuticle. The final genus, Prorastriopes Delamare Deboutteville, includes both a few exotic and many native species in Australia remaining to be described. All native species are found in the northern, drier part of the continent.

Diagnosis

The family is characterised by: thorax I reduced and without setae, mandibular plate present, thorax II to abdomen IV more or less fused and globular, postantennal organ absent, antenna III equal to or shorter than antenna IV, fourth antennal segment annulated, mucro paddle shaped and normally lacking teeth and setae, bothriotricha on large abdomen in a linear pattern, clavate tenent hairs always present, well developed with strongly expanded tips, tibiotarsal III with strong spines internally. Males of some genera, Nasosminthurus, Bourletiellides and Bourletiella, have male secondary sexual organs on antennae and/or large and small abdomen.

Systematics

sensu Bretfeld 1999

General References

Betsch, J.M. 1980. Éléments pour une monographie des Collemboles Symphypléones. (Hexapodes, Aptérygotes). Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris [1936-1950] Zool. 116: 1-227

Bretfeld, G. 1999. Synopses on Palaearctic Collembola. WinterDruck, Herrnhut : Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz Vol. 2 318 pp. [13]

Richards, W.R. 1968. Generic classification, evolution and biogeography of the Sminthuridae of the world (Collembola). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada 53: 1-54

Stach, J. 1956. The Apterygotan fauna of Poland in relation to the world-fauna of this group of insects. Family: Sminthuridae. Cracow : Pol. Akad. Nauk Pt 6 287 pp. 33 pls.

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