Phylogeny, taxonomy, and biogeography of extant silky lacewings (Insecta: Neuroptera: Psychopsidae)
The world genera of the family Psychopsidae are revised based on a comparative morphological assessmen to fadults of 21 (of 26) extant silky lacewing species. Two subfamilies and five genera are recognized. The subfamily Zygophlebiinae contains three African genera, Silveira, Cabralis and Zygophlebius; the subfamily Psychopsinae contains the genera Balmes, from southeast Asia, and Psychopsis from Australia. A generic key and full taxonomic treatments of all supraspecific taxa are presented, together with a synonymical catalog of extant species .Three new species are noted. A novel male/female copulatory mechanism is described, and several hypotheses are advanced regarding the functional morphology of the male and female terminalia. A cladistic analysis of the 21 examined species using 60 adult morphological characters demonstrates the holophyly of all recognized supraspecific taxa. The five recognized genera are cladistically related as follows ([Silveira + (Cabralis + Zygophlebius) ] + [Balmes + Psychopsis]). Alternative classifications of the family are discussed, particularly with regard to the Australian species .The biogeography of extant psychopsids is discussed. The distribution and cladogeny of living silky lacewings is consistent with a Gondwanan origin of the extant members of the family. The present occurrence of Balmes species in southeast Asia is best explained by either (1 ) the northwesterly dispersal of an Australian, probably Tertiary, ancestor through the Malay Archipelago or (2 ) the northerly rafting of a Mesozoic ancestor on a rift fragment of northeastern Gondwanaland.
Memoirs of the American Entomological Societ
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