Siphluriscidae

Definition

A family of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) comprising the single extant genus Siphluriscus, with one living species, Siphluriscus chinensis, distributed in Vietnam and China. The family is regarded as the most primitive surviving lineage of mayflies, retaining plesiomorphic traits lost in other extant families. A fossil genus, Stackelbergisca, is known from Jurassic and Early Cretaceous deposits in Asia.

Etymology

From Siphluriscus (type genus) + -idae (family suffix); Siphluriscus from Greek siphlos (crippled, referring to reduced mouthparts in imago) + oura (tail) + -iscus (diminutive).

Example

Siphluriscus chinensis, the sole living representative of Siphluriscidae, is sought by mayfly systematists because its morphology preserves ancestral character states that clarify relationships among the basal lineages of Ephemeroptera.

Related Terms

• Ephemeroptera
• Siphluriscus
• Siphlonuridae
• Stackelbergisca
• plesiomorphic
• mayfly phylogeny

Usage Notes

The family is monotypic at the genus level for extant taxa. A second described species, Siphluriscus davidi, was subsequently transferred to Siphlonurus (family Siphlonuridae), leaving Siphluriscidae with a single living species. Specialists cite Siphluriscidae when discussing the evolutionary origin of mayfly flight and aquatic larval specializations.