Neopseustidae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Amphiesmenoptera
Ordo: Lepidoptera
Subordo: Glossata
Cladus: Coelolepida
Cladus: Myoglossata
Infraordo: Neopseustina
Superfamilia: Neopseustoidea

Familia: Neopseustidae
Genera (4): Apoplania – Nematocentropus – Neopseustis – Synempora

Name

Neopseustidae Hering, 1925.
References

Chen, Liu-Sheng ; Mamura Owada ; Min Wang & Yang Long 2009: The genus Neopseustis (Lepidoptera: Neopseustidae) from China, with description of one new species. Zootaxa, 2089: 10–18. Abstract & excerpt
Davis, Donald R., 1975: Systematics and Zoogeography of the family Neopseustidae with the proposal of a new Superfamily (Lepidoptera: Neopseustoidea). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 210: 1–45. Full article: [1]
Pitkin, B. & P. Jenkins. Butterflies and Moths of the World: Generic Names and their Type-species. Natural History Museum.[2]

Vernacular names
中文: 卵翅蛾科

Neopseustidae is a small family of day and night-flying "archaic bell moths" in the order Lepidoptera. They are classified into their own superfamily Neopseustoidea and infraorder Neopseustina. Four genera are known. These primitive moths are restricted to South America and Southeast Asia. Their biology is unknown (Davis 1975; Davis and Nielsen 1980, 1984; Kristensen, 1999).

Nematocentropus appears to be the most primitive genus occurring in Assam, Myanmar and Sichuan, China. Three species of Neopseustis are distributed from Assam to Taiwan, whilst Synempora andesae and three species of Apoplania occur in southern South America (Kristensen, 1999: 53-54). The morphology of the antennae (Faucheux 2005ab; Faucheux et al., 2006) and the proboscis (Kristensen and Nielsen 1981) has been studied in detail.
References

Davis, D. R. (1975). Systematics and zoogeography of the family Neopseustidae with the proposal of a new superfamily (Lepidoptera: Neopseustoidea). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 210: 1-45.
Davis, D. R. and Nielsen, E .S. (1980). Description of a new genus and two new species of Neopseustidae from South America, with discussion of phylogeny and biological observations (Lepidoptera: Neopseustoidea). Steenstrupia, 6(16): 253-289.
Davis, D. R. and Nielsen, E.S. (1984). The South American neopseustid genus Apoplania Davis: a new species, distribution records and notes on adult behaviour (Lepidoptera: Neopseustina). Entomologica Scandinavica, 15(4): 497-509.
Faucheux, M.J. (2005a). Les sensilles basiconiques gaufrées à base double ou triple de l’antenne du papillon sud-américain, Apoplania valdiviana Davis et Nielsen 1984 (Lepidoptera: Neopseustidae): distribution et importance numerique. Bulletin de la Société des Sciences Naturelles de l’Ouest de la France, 27(1).
Faucheux, M.J., (2005b). Note brève: Evolution d’un type de sensillaire antennaire dans la famille des Neopseustidae (Lepidoptera: Glossata), la sensille basiconique large et enflée. Bulletin de la Société des Sciences Naturelles de l’Ouest de la France, 27(1).
Faucheux, M.J., Kristensen, N.P. & Yen, S.-H. (2006) The antennae of neopseustid moths: morphology and phylogenetic implications, with special reference to the sensilla (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Neopseustidae). Zoologischer Anzeiger: 245: 131-142.
Kristensen, N.P., Nielsen E.S. (1981). Double-tube proboscis configuration in Neopseustid moths (Lepidoptera: Neopseustidae). International Journal of Insect Morphology and Embryology: 10: 483-486.
Kristensen, N.P. (1999). The homoneurous Glossata. Ch. 5, pp. 51–64 in Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, Systematics, and Biogeography. Handbuch der Zoologie. Eine Naturgeschichte der Stämme des Tierreiches / Handbook of Zoology. A Natural History of the phyla of the Animal Kingdom. Band / Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta Teilband / Part 35: 491 pp. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York.

Sources

Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders, edited by Christopher O'Toole, ISBN 1-55297-612-2, 2002