Family MICROPTERIGIDAE

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Introduction

Adults of this family have functional mandibles and are without a proboscis. The family is the only one in the suborder Zeugloptera and is regarded as the sister-group of all other Lepidoptera. It was previously regarded as a separate order (Kristensen 1984c).

The Australian fauna was updated recently with the publication by Gibbs (2010) who recognised 3 new genera for Australian species, transferred the 3 previously known species from Sabatinca, one each to to Austromartyria Gibbs, 2010, Aureopterix Gibbs, 2010 and Tasmatrix Gibbs, 2010. Gibbs described six new species, assigned to Tasmantrix.

In Australia 3 larvae of Austromartyria have been collected in NE Queensalnd, "obtained by heat extraction from teh periphyton layer on rotten logs" (Gibbs 2010). Larvae attributed to Tasmantrix have also been discvered, similarly heat extracted from "swamp litter, moss, tussocks, sods, etc", in SE New South Wales (Gibbs 2010).

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

MICROPTERIGIDAE: Sabatinca Walker, 1863 — Gibbs, G.W. 2010. Micropterigidae (Lepidoptera) of the Southwestern Pacific: a revision with the establishment of five new genera from Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Zootaxa 2520(1-48)

General References

Gibbs, G.W. 1983. Evolution of Micropterigidae (Lepidoptera) in the SW Pacific. Geological Journal 7: 505-510

Gibbs, G.W. 2010. Micropterigidae (Lepidoptera) of the Southwestern Pacific: a revision with the establishment of five new genera from Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Zootaxa 2520(1-48)

Kristensen, N.P. 1984. Studies of the morphology and systematics of primitive Lepidoptera (Insecta). Steenstrupia 10: 141-191

History of changes