Family NOTOLIGOTOMIDAE
Compiler and date details
Gerasimos Cassis, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Introduction
The Notoligotomidae are a small family containing two genera, the Australian endemic genus Notoligotoma Davis (2 species) and the Asiatic endemic genus Ptilocerembia Roepke (Ross 1970, 1982). Ross (1963) redefined the family as proposed by Davis (1940), removing the genera Embonycha Navás and Burmitembia Cockerell, the latter a fossil taxon. Ross (1982) identified 24 species in the family, most of which are undescribed.
Males are usually winged. The terminal segment of the left cercus is partly or completely fused with the basal segment. The hind basitarsi often have two ventral papillae. The abdominal terminalia have a broad medial cleft and a well-developed medial sclerite (Ross 1963, 1982).
Members of this family occur in well-drained, warm places. Their galleries are found in bark encrusted with lichens, on branches and fence posts and on rock surfaces (Ross 1991).
General References
Davis, C. 1940. Taxonomic notes on the order Embioptera. XX. The distribution and comparative morphology of the order Embioptera. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 65: 533-542
Ross, E.S. 1963. The families of Australian Embioptera, with descriptions of a new family, genus and species. Wasmann Journal of Biology 21: 121-136
Ross, E.S. 1970. Biosystematics of the Embioptera. Annual Review of Entomology 15: 157-172
Ross, E.S. 1982. Embiidina. pp. 387–389 in Parker, S.P. (ed.) Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. New York : McGraw Hill Book Co
Ross, E.S. 1991. Embioptera. Embiidina (Embiids, web-spinners, foot-spinners). Naumann, I.D. (ed.) The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press Vol. 1 2nd Edn. 405–409 pp.