Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

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Family PHILOTARSIDAE


Compiler and date details

October 2014 - ABRS

C.N. Smithers Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Introduction

Of the five genera and 98 species in the Philotarsidae, four genera and 23 species are listed for the Australian fauna, including Christmas Island (Smithers 1995). They are mostly inhabitants of bark.

Philotarsids have 13-segmented antennae and nearly always 3-segmented tarsi; the claws have a tooth. The venation is similar to that of the Caeciliidae. In the forewing the branches of the veins have more than one row of setae with M+CuA having one row; many of the marginal setae cross each other. The gonapophyses have a narrow ventral valve, a large, broad dorsal valve, somewhat rectangular without a strong preapical lobe and a large setose external valve. When the phallosome has sclerifications of the penial bulb they are not in the form of strong rods but usually take the form of rugose areas. All species for which information is available lay their eggs singly, encrusted with debris and covered with a few silken threads.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
12-Feb-2010 (import)