Family PSILOPSOCIDAE

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Introduction

Australia appears to have only one species of this small and remarkable family of wood borers (the only known wood boring psocopterans) of which there are seven species, all referred to one genus. The adults live on the surface of bark, but the nymphs have the habit of boring into wood, for which they have obvious morphological adaptations. The hind end of the abdomen fits into the lumen of the tube in which they live, being modified to form a heavily sclerotised, truncate plug. Other adaptations involve the antennae and movement of the terminal abdominal structures to a ventral position so that the end of the abdomen presents an undivided surface towards the entrance to the burrow. Little is known of their biology.

Psilopsocids have 13-segmented antennae and 3-segmented tarsi; the claw has a tooth and the pulvillus is broad. The forewing is elongated and the venation is, in general, similar to that of the Caeciliidae but CuA1 and CuA2 divide well back from the wing margin, not near it as in the Caeciliidae; the broadest part of the pterostigma carries a spurvein which projects towards the radius. The phallosome is a simple, closed ring with faint suggestion of sclerification of the penial bulb. The gonapophyses are complete, both ventral and dorsal valves being long and pointed. The external valve is strongly transverse and setose. The eggs are laid singly and are heavily encrusted with debris shaped into a form with characteristic projections.

General References

Smithers, C.N. 1963. Psilopsocus mimulus sp. n. (Psocoptera: Psilopsocidae) representing a family new to Australia. Journal of the Entomological Society of Queensland 2: 56-59 10 figs

Smithers, C.N. 1983. A revised key to the species of Psilopsocus (Psocoptera: Psilopsocidae) with new records of Ps. mimulus, a probably phragmotic species. Australian Entomological Magazine 10(2,3): 33-34

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