Asiopsocidae

Definition

A family of barklice (Psocodea: Caeciliusetae) comprising 14 described species in three genera—Asiopsocus, Notiopsocus, and Pronotiopsocus—distributed primarily across Asia with scattered records in North America. Members are small, dorsoventrally flattened psocids typically found on bark or foliage, distinguished by reduced wing venation and characteristic pronotal setation patterns used in generic diagnoses.

Etymology

From Asiopsocus (type genus, combining 'Asia' and Greek psōkos 'flea/louse') + Latin -idae family suffix.

Example

Asiopsocus crossicornis, a representative of Asiopsocidae, occurs in montane forests of the southwestern United States and shares the family's diagnostic trait of a pronotum bearing two rows of marginal setae.

Related Terms

• Psocodea
• Caeciliusetae
• barklice
• Psocoptera
• Asiopsocus
• Notiopsocus
• Pronotiopsocus
• epipsocid
• psocid morphology

Usage Notes

Family-level taxon; treated as feminine plural in formal Latin nomenclature. Distinguished from the larger family Psocidae by wing venation and genitalic characters. The family's Asian center of diversity contrasts with its peripheral Nearctic occurrence. Mockford & García-Aldrete established the family in 1976 to accommodate genera previously misplaced in Epipsocidae or Psocidae.