Sphaeropsocopsis Badonnel, 1963

Grimaldi, David & Engel, Michael S., 2006, Extralimital Fossils of the ‘‘ Gondwanan’ ’ Family Sphaeropsocidae (Insecta: Psocodea), American Museum Novitates 3523 (1), pp. 1-20 : 8-9

Genus Sphaeropsocopsis Badonnel

Sphaeropsocopsis Badonnel, 1963: 322 . Type species: Sphaeropsocopsis chilensis Badonnel, 1963 , by original designation.

DIAGNOSIS: Modified from Badonnel (1967, 1971, 1972), Smithers (1972), and Mockford (1993): (Female) Forewings with 4–5 main longitudinal veins (generally missing MP), apices of at least Rs, M, and Cu fused distally (but distant from wing margin); wing membrane finely and densely areolate; maxillary palpomere 4 (P 4) fusiform; female terminalia with V3 deeply lobed.

INCLUDED SPECIES: There are nine described species in the genus, all of them Recent. Five of the species are known only from Chile: Sp. chilensis Badonnel, 1963 ; Sp. microps Badonnel, 1963 (specimens ‘‘cf. microp s’’ are also reported from Ascension Island in the mid-Atlantic); Sp. spinosa Badonnel, 1972 ; Sp. valdiviensis Badonnel, 1972 ; and Sp. valeriae Badonnel, 1967 . Sphaeropsocopsis argentina ( Badonnel, 1962) occurs in Argentina (but has also been introduced into the United States; see Relationships and Biogeography, below); Sp. recens occurs in Tasmania and southeastern Australia ( Hickman, 1934); Sp. riesi Badonnel, 1972 occurs in Angola; and there is a blind cave species on St. Helena Island ( Sp. myrtleae Lienhard and Ashmole, 1999 ). Sphaeropscopsis myrtleae was placed into this genus only on the basis of undivided mesothoracic sternites and eye reduction; the brachypterous forewings are so reduced as to obscure whether they possessed the characteristic venation and areolae.

Mockford (1993) mentioned a possible Sphaeropsocus from California, known only from three ♀ specimens representing possibly two species, but which may be a Sphaeropsocopsis . According to Mockford (1993: pg. 64) these specimens have six veins ‘‘including Cu 2, but Cu 1 is simple and joins M 2 distally’’ (this last feature diagnostic of Sphaeropsocopsis ). Given that one species from Argentina, Sp. argentina ( Badonnel, 1962) , has been introduced into the United States, it is quite possible that the California specimens were also from an introduced population.