Family NEANURIDAE Börner, 1901

Neanuridae

© Copyright J. Thurmer. CSIRO Entomology.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Neanurini Börner, C. 1901. Zur Kenntnis der Apterygoten-Fauna von Bremen und der Nachbardistrikte, Beitrag zu einer Apterygoten-Fauna Mitteleuropas. Abhandlungen Herausgegeben vom Naturwissenschaftlichen Verein zu Bremen 17: 1-140 [33].

Introduction

Nineteen genera and 46 species of Neanuridae are recorded from Australia, but many more species and some genera are yet to be described. Three further genera from Australia, Cephalachorutes Bedos & Deharveng, 1991, Pseudachorutella Stach, 1949 and Micranurida Börner, 1901, are without described species here. The genus Yuukianura Yosii, 1953 also occurs in Australia but no described species have been recorded (Deharveng & Greenslade 1992). Lubbock (1899) described Anoura spinosa (= Holocanthella spinosa) erroneously as from Australia; Dendy (1901) corrected the locality to New Zealand. Pseudachorudina kosciuski (Giant Inky Springtail) is a nomen nudum (Green & Osborne 1994).

Four subfamilies are recognised and all occur in Australia. They differ in the morphology of their mouthparts and there is considerable specialisation of these structures in this family resulting in different feeding habits. All the subfamilies are found mainly in the more humid regions of Australia and there are few species in the arid zone. The Frieseinae are a small subfamily with only two genera, one of which is cosmopolitan and has a number of species with localised distributions in Australia. The Neanurinae is particularly well developed in south-east Asia and extends to humid parts of eastern Australia. The Pseudachorutinae are a poorly known group and the Australian fauna probably contains many new genera and species. Finally, the Uchidanurinae are an ancient subfamily but not well characterised, associated with decaying logs in temperate and subtropical rainforests and with two genera which are endemic to Australia. The species are large and spectacular and are of considerable biogeographic and phylogenetic importance.

Diagnosis

Characterised by: thorax I setose, mandibular plate absent, maxilla present with long slender cardo between the stipes and the fulcrum, maxillary palp not developed, microsetae s' absent, empodial appendage absent.

Systematics

sensu Deharveng 2004

General References

Cassagnau, P. 1983. Un nouveau modèle phylogénétique chez les Collemboles Neanurinae. Nouvelle Revue d'Entomologie 13(1): 3-27

Deharveng, L. & Greenslade, P. 1992. Hemilobella, a new genus of Lobellini (Collembola: Neanuridae) from Australia and Malaysia with notes on other Australian lobelline genera. Invertebrate Taxonomy 6: 727-739

Dendy, A. 1901. Note on the distribution of some Australasian Collembola. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 33: 97-98

Green, K. & Osborne, W. 1994. Wildlife of the Australian Snow Country: a comprehensive guide to alpine fauna. Chatsworth, NSW : Reed Books.

Lubbock, J. 1899. On some Australasian Collembola. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 27: 334-338

Massoud, Z. 1967. Monographie des Neanuridae, Collemboles Poduromorphes à pièces buccales modifiées. Biologie de l'Amérique Australe 4: 1-399

Stach, J. 1949. The Apterygotan fauna of Poland in relation to the world-fauna of this group of insects. Families: Anuridae and Pseudachorutidae. Cracow : Pol. Acad. Sci. Lett. Pt 3 122 pp. 15 pls.

Stach, J. 1951. The Apterygotan fauna of Poland in relation to the world-fauna of this group of insects. Family: Bilobidae. Cracow : Pol. Akad. Nauk Pt 4 97 pp. 16 pls.

History of changes