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Dasydemellidae

Emilie Bess and Kevin P. Johnson
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taxon links [up-->]Teliapsocus [up-->]Dasydemella [up-->]Ptenopsilinae [up-->]Matsumuraiella [down<--]Caeciliusetae Interpreting the tree
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Containing group: Caeciliusetae

Introduction

The family Dasydemellidae includes 4 genera and 30 species distributed in North and South America and in Asia.  One species, Teliapsocus conterminus, is known from North America and is widespread throughout many regions of the US and southern Canada.

Characteristics

Synapomorphies

General Characters

How to Know the Family

Family Monophyly

Monophyly of family Dasydemellidae is supported by both morphological and molecular data. 

Two synapomorphic morphological characters unite the family: distinctive patterns of hairs on the hindwing and, in the female, the external valve of the gonapophyses is well developed (Yoshizawa 2002).  Molecular analysis including two species, Matsumuriella radiopicta and Ptenopsila sp., provides support for the monophyly of family Dasydemellidae (18S nuclear DNA; Johnson et al. 2004).

Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships

Due to strong morphological similarity between the families Dasydemellidae and Amphipsocidae, there is disagreement as to whether Dasydemellidae should retain status as a family (Mockford 1993) or be included in family Amphipsocidae s.l. (Yoshizawa 2002). Molecular data suggest a sister relationship between Dasydemellidae and Stenopsocidae, and place Dasydemellidae , Stenopsocidae as sister to Amphipsocidae (Johnson et al. 2004).

References

Johnson, K. P., K. Yoshizawa, and V. S. Smith. 2004. Multiple origins of parasitism in lice. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 271:1771-1776.

Mockford, E. L. 1993. North American Psocoptera (Insecta). Gainesville, Florida: Sandhill Crane Press.

Yoshizawa, K. 2002. Phylogeny and higher classification of suborder Psocomorpha (Insecta: Psocodea:'Psocoptera'). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 136: 371-400.

Title Illustrations
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Scientific Name Matsumuraiella radiopicta
Location Japan
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Identified By K. Yoshizawa
Life Cycle Stage adult
View lateral
Size 3mm
Copyright © 2006 Kazunori Yoshizawa
About This Page

Emilie Bess
Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USA

Kevin P. Johnson
Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Emilie Bess at and Kevin P. Johnson at

All Rights Reserved.

Citing this page:

Bess, Emilie and Kevin P. Johnson. 2009. Dasydemellidae. Version 25 March 2009 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Dasydemellidae/30392/2009.03.25 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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