Family MEINERTELLIDAE
Compiler and date details
G.B. Smith, Bayer Australia Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Introduction
The Meinertellidae is the more derived of the two extant families of Archaeognatha. Species are distinguished from those of the Machilidae (sens. lat.) by their very small abdominal sterna. One hundred and forty-four species in 16 genera have been described. Sturm (1984) reviewed the evolution and distribution of the family and Mendes (1981) published a key to the genera. Meinertellids are found in all zoogeographical regions but they are most common in the southern hemisphere.
The Australian fauna is poorly known. Ten species in five genera are recorded. Two genera (Allomachilis Silvestri and Machilelloides Sturm & Smith) are endemic and a third (Nesomachilis Tillyard) is only known from Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and New Guinea. Womersley (1939) reviewed the Australian fauna and Sturm (1980) revised the genus Nesomachilis.
References
Mendes, L.F. 1981. Sur quelques Microcoryphia de l'Asie Orientale: Notes et Descriptions (Insecta; Apterygota). Nouvelle Revue d'Entomologie 11: 15–28
Sturm, H. 1980. Redescription of Nesomachilis (Archaeognatha: Meinertellidae), with descriptions of new species from the Australian region. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 7: 533–550
Sturm, H. 1984. Zur Systematik, Biogeographie und Evolution der südamerikanischen Meinertellidae (Machiloidea, Archaeognatha, Insecta). Zeitschrift für Zoologische Systematik und Evolutionsforschung 22: 27–44
Womersley, H. 1939. Primitive Insects of South Australia. Silverfish, Springtails and their allies. Adelaide : Frank Trigg, Government Printer 322 pp. 1 pl