Family LEPTOPHLEBIIDAE
Compiler and date details
Ian Campbell, Chisolm Institute of Technology, Caufield East, Victoria, Australia
Introduction
The Leptophlebiidae is one of the largest of the mayfly families worldwide and is the dominant family in Australia - comprising 15 out of 29 described genera and 63 out of 112 described species. The family has been poorly studied taxonomically in Australia and undoubtebly many new species and genera will be described.
Not only is the taxonomy incomplete, but the work that has been carried out has been largely piecemeal resulting in taxonomic chaos. One major problem centres on the genera Deleatidium Eaton and Atalophlebioides Phillips. The genus Atalophlebioides was originally described as a subgenus of Deleatidium by Phillips (1930). Ulmer (1938) raised it to generic rank and this was accepted by Traver (1946), but Harker (1954) believed that it deserved only subgeneric rank. Nymphs of the two genera differ in that those of Deleatidium possess single gills whereas those of Atalophlebioides possess double gills. No Australian species appear to have single gills.
Of the nine species originally placed in Deleatidium three were placed in the subgenus Atalophlebioides, by Harker (1954), a fourth species, D. mjobergi Ulmer was transferred to Ulmerophlebia Demoulin by Demoulin (1955) leaving the remaining five species in Deleatidium. Towns & Peters (1978) restricted Atalophlebioides to a single New Zealand species leaving the three Australian species previously included by Harker and the other five species originally included in Deleatidium as incertae sedis, since none have Deleatidium type abdominal gills and none can be placed in Atalophlebioides. Campbell & Suter (1988) began to unravel the taxonomic chaos within this group when they erected the genus Austrophlebioides to accommodate two previous Deleatidium species pusillum Harker and unguicularis Ulmer. Unfortunately the correct generic assignment of the remaining six species and mjobergi (presently in Ulmerophlebia) will only be solved with further study (Campbell & Suter 1988).
A somewhat similar problem exists in the genus Kirrara Harker where two of the described species, Kirrara algona Harker and Kirrara amenia Harker, belong to a different phyletic line to that of the type species (Campbell & Peters, 1986). In the genus Atalomicria Harker, Riek (1970) illustrated a nymph which is identical with, the nymph of Atalophlebia yugana Harker (see Peters & Campbell, 1991).
Campbell & Suter (1988) erected the genus Koorrnonga for five species previously included in Nousia Navàs as well as one from Atalophlebia Eaton, and the subgenus Australonousia for the two remaining Australian species of Nousia, restricting the nominate subgenus to the South American species and leaving Nousia darkara (Harker) as incertae sedis.
New genera have been described recently, including KaningaDean, 2000, Loamaggalangta Dean et al., 1999 and Manggabora Dean & Suter 2004), bringing the number of genera recognised to 18.
The Australian leptophlebiids were placed by Peters (1980) in the subfamily Atalophebiinae, a subfamily with an amphinotic distribution. Pescador & Peters (1980) suggested that the genera of cool adapted South American leptophlebiids are related more closely to the Australian genera than to those of New Zealand or Madagascar.
Ecologically, the leptophlebiids are the most diverse family of the Australian mayflies. In habitat they range from farm dams and lakes through to the most torrential streams. They occur from the tropics to Tasmania and over the whole range of altitudes. Genera such as Jappa Harker and Ulmerophlebia burrow into soft sediments, while Deleatidium and Kirrara cling to rocks in the fast currents. The group also utilizes a variety of food sources; some species are algal scrapers, others shred coarse organic material and still others collect fine particulate material. An interesting feature of the group is the striking evolutionary convergence between many Australian leptophlebiids and members of the other families in the Northern Hemisphere. Dean (1999) provided preliminary keys to the mature nymphs of the genera and species of the family.
General References
Campbell, I.C. & Peters, W.L. 1986. Redefinition of Kirrara Harker with a redescription of Kirrara procera Harker (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae: Atalophlebiinae). Aquatic Insects 8: 71-81
Campbell, I.C. & Suter, P.J. 1988. Three new genera, a new subgenus and a new species of Leptophlebiidae (Ephemeroptera) from Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 27(4): 259-273 [Date published 29 Nov. 1988]
Christidis, F. 2005. Phylogenetic relationships of the Australian Leptophlebiidae (Ephemeroptera). Invertebrate Systematics 19: 531-539
Dean, J.C. 2000. Descriptions of new Leptophlebiidae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) from Australia. II. Kaninga, a new monotypic genus from south-western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 20(1): 87-94
Dean, J.C., Forteath, G.N.R. & Osborn, A.W. 1999. Loamaggalangta pedderensis gen. & sp. nov.: A new mayfly from Tasmania (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae: Atalophlebiinae). Australian Journal of Entomology 38: 72-76
Dean, J.C. & Suter, P.J. 2004. Descriptions of new species and a new genus of leptophlebiid mayflies (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) from the Northern Territory, Australia. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 61: 111-118
Finlay, K.J. & Bae, Y.J. 2008. Phylogenetic relationships of the Australian Leptophlebiidae. pp. 233-275 in Hauer, F.R., Stanford, J.A. & Newell, R.L. (eds). International advances in the ecology, zoogeography and systematics of mayflies and stoneflies. Berkeley, CA : University of California Press.
Harker, J.E. 1954. The Ephemeroptera of eastern Australia. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 105: 241-268
Pescador, M.L. & Peters, W.L. 1980. Phylogenetic relationships and zoogeography of cool-adapted Leptophlebiidae (Ephemeroptera). pp. 43-56 in Flannagan, J.F. & Marshall, K.E. (eds). Advances in Ephemeroptera biology. Proceedings of the International Conference on Ephemeroptera. New York : Plenum Press Vol. 3.
Peters, W.L. 1980. Phylogeny of the Leptophlebiidae (Ephemeroptera): an introduction. pp. 33-41 in Flannagan, J.F. & Marshall, K.E. (eds). Advances in Ephemeroptera biology. Proceedings of the International Conference on Ephemeroptera. New York : Plenum Press Vol. 3.
Peters, W.L. & Campbell, I.C. 1991. Ephemeroptera (Mayflies). pp. 279-293 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press Vol. 1 xiii 542 pp.
Phillips, J.S. 1930. A revision of New Zealand Ephemeroptera. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 61: 271-390
Riek, E.F. 1970. Ephemeroptera (Mayflies). pp. 224-240 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Carlton : Melbourne University Press 1029 pp.
Towns, D.R. & Peters, W.L. 1978. A revision of genus Atalophlebioides (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 5: 607-614
Traver, J.R. 1946. Notes on neotropical mayflies. Part 1. Family Baetidae, subfamily Leptophlebiinae. Revista de Entomologia. Rio de Janeiro 17: 418-436
Ulmer, G. 1938. Chilenische Ephemeroptera, hauptsachlich aus dem Deutschen Entomologischen Institut, Berlin-Dahlem. Arbeiten über Morphologische und Taxonomische Entomologie aus Berlin-Dahlem 5: 85-108
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-Jul-2023 | 18-Mar-2013 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |