Psychopsidae
Encyclopedia
The Psychopsidae are a family
of winged insects
of the order
Neuroptera
. They are commonly called silky lacewings.
The silky lacewings are distinguishable in their adult stage by their attractively patterned and pubescent wings known as vena triplica.
They were formerly placed in the superfamily
Hemerobioidea, but do not seem to be closely related to these net-winged insects at all. Rather, might be closer to the Myrmeleontoidea which contain for example the antlions (Myrmeleontidae). In particular, the spoon-winged laceflies (Nemopteridae
) seem to be very closely related to the silky lacewings. These had at one time been placed in a superfamily
Nemopteroidea. The fossil
family Osmylopsychopidae was - as indicated by their scientific name - initially believed to be intermediate between the Psychopsidae and the Osmylidae
. But actually these similarities are due to plesiomorphies in the first case, and simply misperceived in the second; the osmylopsychopids are one of the basal lineages of the Myrmeleontoidea as traditionally defined. The Nemopteroidea were eventually abolished and its members included in the Myrmeleontoidea. But as the silky and spoon-winged lacewings together with the "butterfly" lacewings of the Kalligrammatidae do seem to form a quite distinct clade
among the expanded Myrmeleontoidea, it appears well warranted to reinstate the Nemopteroidea for them.
Silky lacewings were especially more diverse from the Triassic
period
to the Tertiary
than in modern times.
The following cladogram is based on Peng et al. 2011:
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of winged insects
Pterygota
Pterygota is a subclass of insects that includes the winged insects. It also includes insect orders that are secondarily wingless ....
of the order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Neuroptera
Neuroptera
The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order contains some 6,010 species...
. They are commonly called silky lacewings.
The silky lacewings are distinguishable in their adult stage by their attractively patterned and pubescent wings known as vena triplica.
They were formerly placed in the superfamily
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
Hemerobioidea, but do not seem to be closely related to these net-winged insects at all. Rather, might be closer to the Myrmeleontoidea which contain for example the antlions (Myrmeleontidae). In particular, the spoon-winged laceflies (Nemopteridae
Nemopteridae
Spoonwings or Nemopteridae are a family of neuropteran insects. They are also called Thread-winged Antlions. Their flight is delicate and they have a circling flight to avoid walls when they are trapped indoors...
) seem to be very closely related to the silky lacewings. These had at one time been placed in a superfamily
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
Nemopteroidea. The fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
family Osmylopsychopidae was - as indicated by their scientific name - initially believed to be intermediate between the Psychopsidae and the Osmylidae
Osmylidae
Osmylidae are a small family of winged insects of the net-winged insect order Neuroptera. The osmylids are found all over the world except in North America. A common species through most of Europe is Osmylus fulvicephalus.-Description and ecology:...
. But actually these similarities are due to plesiomorphies in the first case, and simply misperceived in the second; the osmylopsychopids are one of the basal lineages of the Myrmeleontoidea as traditionally defined. The Nemopteroidea were eventually abolished and its members included in the Myrmeleontoidea. But as the silky and spoon-winged lacewings together with the "butterfly" lacewings of the Kalligrammatidae do seem to form a quite distinct clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
among the expanded Myrmeleontoidea, it appears well warranted to reinstate the Nemopteroidea for them.
Silky lacewings were especially more diverse from the Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
period
Period
Period may mean a full stop: a punctuation in American-English.Period or periodic may also refer to:-Science:* Orbital period, a concept in astronomy...
to the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
than in modern times.
The following cladogram is based on Peng et al. 2011: