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Bryopsocidae

Bryopsocus

Emilie Bess and Kevin P. Johnson
Containing group: Homilopsocidea

Introduction

The family Bryopsocidae includes two species in the genus Bryopsocus that are known only from New Zealand.  The family was originally described within the family Philotarsidae, which it closely resembles.

Bryopsocids are medium sized bark lice, 2-3 mm in length. They inhabit moss in damp forests. 

Characteristics

How to Know the Family

Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships

Specimens of Bryopsocus are rare.  The genus was included in a comparative morphological analysis, which placed it within superfamily Perisocidea (Yoshizawa 2002).  Bryopsocus has not been studied using molecular techniques.

Other Names for Bryopsocus

References

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

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

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.

Thornton, I.W.B., S.K. Wong and C.N. Smithers. 1977. They Philotarsidae (Psocoptera) of New Zealand and islands of the New Zealand Plateau. Pacific Insects 17: 197-228.

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

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. Bryopsocidae. Bryopsocus. Version 25 March 2009 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Bryopsocus/30253/2009.03.25 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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