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Ectopsocidae

Emilie Bess and Kevin P. Johnson
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taxon links [up-->]Ectopsocus [up-->]Estipulaceus [up-->]Ectopsocopsis [up-->]Belipsocus [up-->]Ectianoculus [up-->]Mascaropsocus [down<--]Homilopsocidea Interpreting the tree
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Containing group: Homilopsocidea

Introduction

The family Ectopsocidae contains about 200 species in 6 genera distributed worldwide with highest diversity in Asia.  Fourteen species are known from North America in the genera Ectopsocus and Ectopsocopsis.

These are small-sized bark lice (1.5-2.5 mm, both nymphs and adults) with robust bodies.  Body colors are brown; wings are clear with or without markings.  Ectopsocids inhabit dead leaves on tree branches and leaf litter.

Characteristics

Synapomorphies

General Characters

How to Know the Family

Family Monophyly

Monophyly of Ectopsocidae is strongly supported by morphological characters, including hindwing veins Rs+M crossvein, the absence of the areola postica in the forewing, the presence of a ball-shaped lobe on the meta-epimeron, and the abscence of preapical tooth on the pretarsal claws (Yoshizawa 2002).  Molecular analysis including three species of Ectopsocus showed stong support for the monophyly of the genus (18S DNA; Johnson et al. 2004), but other ectopsocid genera have not yet been included in molecular analysis.

Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships

Both morphological and molecular data support the placement of Ectopsocidae within infraorder Homilopsocidea, although relationships within the infraorder are not well resolved (Johnson and Mockford 2003).

References

Johnson, K. P. & E. L. Mockford. 2003. Molecular Systematics of Psocomorpha (Psocoptera). Systematic Entomology 28: 409-40.

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.

Lienhard, C. and C. N Smithers. 2002. Psocoptera (Insecta) World Catalogue and Bibliography. Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Geneva, Switzerland.

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

New, T.R. 2005. Psocids, Psocoptera (Booklice and barklice), 2nd edition: Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. Vol. 1, Part 7. Royal Entomological Society, London, UK.

Smithers, C. N. 1996. Psocoptera. Pp. 1-80, 363-372 (Index) in Wells A. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 26. Psocoptera, Phthiraptera, Thysanoptera. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing, Australia.

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 Ectopsocus
Location Boxborough, Ma.
Comments 11/26/2006
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Life Cycle Stage adult
View dorsal
Copyright © Tom Murray
Scientific Name Ectopsocus
Location Boxborough, Ma.
Comments 11/26/2006
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Life Cycle Stage nymph
View dorsal
Copyright © Tom Murray
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. Ectopsocidae. Version 25 March 2009 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Ectopsocidae/14472/2009.03.25 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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