Approximately 100 species are now included in the family Tethinidae,
although slightly more than 20 have been described in the regions under
consideration. Several additional species remain to be described. The concept
of the family was broadened by Griffiths (1972) and now includes a few rather
peculiar species that have adapted to insular habitats in the Southern Hemisphere.
No modern comprehensive work is available for the family.
Most species are associated with maritime habitats, and the adults are sometimes
fairly abundant in the wrack zone, especially on windrows of rotting seaweed.
A few species occur inland, usually in association with alkaline habitats
in arid zones. Adults, for the most part, are rather drab colored, tiny,
and inconspicuous and are not frequently collected. Except for Apetaenus
watsoni Hardy (1962b), virtually nothing is known about the immature
stages of the family, although presumably most are associated with rotting
seaweed.
Ref.: Sasakawa (1995, rev. Micronesian spp.), Munari (2004, Australian and Papuan spp.).
APETAENUS Eaton, 1875: 58. Type species: Apetaenus litoralis
Eaton, 1875, mon.
MACROCANACE Tonnoir & Malloch, 1926a: 5. Type species: Milichia
littorea Hutton, 1902, orig. des.
australis Hutton, 1902a: 174 (Ochtiphila). NZ (Campbell I);
NZ (Antipodes Is).
antipoda Harrison, 1953: 276 (Macrocanace). NZ (Antipodes
Is).
litoralis Eaton, 1875: 58. Kerguelen Is; Crozet Is.
littoreus Hutton, 1902a: 174 (Milichia). NZ (Antipodes Is);
NZ (Bounty Is).
watsoni Hardy, 1962b: 965. Macquarie I.
DASYRHICNOESSA Hendel, 1934b: 38. Type species: Rhicnoessa
fulva Hendel, 1913, orig. des.
aquila Munari, 2002: 540. Pitcairn Is.
atripes Munari, 2004: 34. Australia (NSW).
bicolor Munari, 2002: 542. Fiji.
boninensis Sasakawa, 1995: 58. Bonin Is; Volcano Is.
ciliata Munari, 2004: 34. Australia (NT).
clandestina Munari, 2002: 540. New Caledonia (New Caledonia).
fulvescens Malloch, 1935d: 93. Australia (Qld).
insularis Aldrich, 1931: 395 (Tethina). Wake I; Belau, Fiji, Hawaiian
Is, Kiribati (Line Is), Marshall Is, Micronesia.
ferruginea Lamb, 1914: 367 (Rhicnoessa). Seychelles; Australia (Qld), French
Polynesia (Marquesas), PNG (PNG), Pitcairn Is; Hong Kong, Philippines.
lasiophthalma Malloch, 1933b: 17 (Tethina). French Polynesia
(Marquesas).
humilis Munari, 2004: 34. Australia (NSW); Australia (Qld).
longisetosus Munari, 2004: 38. PNG (PNG); Australia (Qld).
macalpinei Munari, 2004: 40. Australia (NT).
mathisi Munari, 2002: 547. Easter I.
ostentatrix Munari, 2004: 40. Australia (NSW); Australia (Qld, Vic).
pallida Munari, 2004: 42. Australia (Qld).
priapus Munari, 2004: 44. Australia (Qld).
serratula Malloch, 1935d: 94. Australia (Qld).
sexseriata Hendel, 1913: 110 (Rhicnoessa). Taiwan; Australia (Qld), Belau, Guam, Marshall Is, Micronesia, PNG (PNG), Wake I; Hong Kong, Philippines.
asymbasia Sasakawa, 1995: 56. Micronesia.
tripunctata Sasakawa, 1974: 2. Philippines; Australia (Qld), Belau, Guam, Micronesia, PNG (PNG); Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak), Ryukyu Is.
phyllodes Sasakawa, 1995: 64. Belau.
vockerothi Hardy & Delfinado, 1980: 373. Hawaiian Is; Australia (NSW, NT, Qld), Guam, Kiribati,
Marshall Is, Micronesia, Northern Marianas, PNG (PNG), Wake I; Malaysia (Sarawak), Ryukyu Is, Seychelles, Sri Lanka.
PELOMYIA Williston, 1893b: 258. Type species: Pelomyia occidentalis Williston, 1893, mon.
steyskali Hardy & Delfinado, 1980: 375. USA; Hawaiian Is; ?Canada.
coronata, authors, not Loew, 1866, misid.
Genus PLESIOTETHINA Munari
PLESIOTETHINA Munari, 2000: 238. Type species: Plesiotethina australis Munari, 2000, orig. des.
australis Munari, 2000: 240. Australia (WA).
PSEUDORHICNOESSA Malloch, 1914: 306. Type species: Pseudorhicnoessa spinipes Malloch, 1914, mon.
MACROTETHINA Malloch, 1935d: 91 (Tethina subg.). Type species:
Tethina tibiseta Malloch, 1935, orig. des.
spinipes Malloch, 1914: 307. Taiwan; Australia (NT, Qld), Belau, Guam, Marshall Is, Micronesia, Northern Marianas, PNG (PNG);
Japan, e. Oriental Reg.
tibiseta Malloch, 1935d: 91 (Tethina). Australia (Qld).
Genus SIGALOETHINA Munari
SIGALOETHINA Munari, 2004: 46. Type species: Sigaloethina phaia Munari, 2004, orig. des.
endiomena Munari, 2005: 592. Australia (Qld).
thaia Munari, 2004: 47. Australia (NSW); Australia (NT, Qld).
TETHINA Haliday in Curtis, 1837b: 293. Type species: Opomyza
illota Haliday, 1838, subs. mon. Haliday, 1838: 188. [Published in synonymy;
first made available in Haliday, 1838: 188.]
RHICNOESSA Loew, 1862c: 174. Type species: Rhicnoessa cinerea
Loew, 1862 [= Anthomyza grisea Fallén, 1823], mon.
PHYCOMYZA Melander, 1952a: 198. Type species: Rhicnoessa milichioides
Melander, 1913, orig. des.
hirsuta Munari, 2000: 244. Australia (WA).
horningi Harrison, 1976: 143. NZ (NZ).
nigriseta Malloch, 1924f: 337. Australia (NSW); Australia (Qld, Vic).
ochracea Henedel, 1913: 109 (Rhicnoessa). Taiwan; Australia (WA); Bermuda, Bulgaria, Canary Is, Cape Verde Is, Chile, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Madeira, Malta, Mexico, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, USA.
orientalis Hendel, 1934: 47 (Rhicnoessa). Taiwan; Guam; Hong
Kong, Ryukyu Is.
pallidiseta Malloch, 1935d: 92. Australia (NSW); Australia (Tas, Vic, WA).
sexseriata Hendel, 1913a: 110 (Rhicnoessa). Taiwan; Fiji.
variseta Melander, 1952a: 209 (Rhicnoessa). USA; Hawaiian
Is.
albula, authors, not Loew, 1869, misid.
TETHINOSOMA Malloch, 1930m: 335. Type species: Agromyza fulvifrons
Hutton, 1901, orig. des.
fulvifrons Hutton, 1901: 93 (Agromyza). NZ (NZ).
Genus THITENA Munari
THITENA Munari, 2004: 50. Type species: Thitena cadaverina Munari, 2004, orig. des.
cadaverina Munari, 2004: 51. Austrlaia (WA).
This page last revised 28 May 2007