Family KEROPLATIDAE



The family Keroplatidae is comprised of about 700 described species in 100 genera distributed worldwide. Adults of extant forms are sylvan in habit, often found in dark, damp places where they can be found gathering in large numbers in the crepuscular or nocturnal hours. Larvae also live in dark, moist situations such as caves, under logs, and under bracket fungi (Polyporaceae) where they spin silken webs used for collecting prey or spores. The larvae of some species are predaceous.

This catalog lists 45 fossil species in 14 genera. Most described species are from Baltic amber and other Tertiary deposits. However, a Cretaceous species was described from amber of northwestern France (Matile, 1981).

In addition to the determined forms listed below, Grimaldi (1990) and Maisey (1991: 434) recorded an undetermined specimen of Macrocerinae from the Cretaceous Santana Formation of Brazil.

Ref.: Matile (1981, review of fossil taxa; 1990a, world revision).


Genus ASINDULUM Latreille

*ASINDULUM Latreille, 1805: 290. Type species: Asindulum nigrum Latreille, 1805, by monotypy.
elegantulum Meunier, 1904c: 106 [1904d: 117]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
girschneri Meunier, 1904c: 105 [1904d: 116]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
longipalpe Meunier, 1904c: 104 [1904d: 115]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
pygmaeum Statz, 1944a: 70. PA: Germany (Oligocene) [C].


Genus BURMACROCERA Cockerell

BURMACROCERA Cockerell, 1917g: 326. Type species: Burmacrocera petiolata Cockerell, 1917, by monotypy.
petiolata Cockerell, 1917g: 326. OR: Myanmar (Miocene) [A].


Genus HESPERODES Coquillett

*HESPERODES Coquillett, 1900a: 429. Type species: Hesperodes johnsoni Coquillett, 1900, by original designation.
ARCHAEMACROCERA Meunier, 1917a: 88. Type species: Archaemacrocera concinna Meunier, 1917, by monotypy.
concinna Meunier, 1917a: 88 (Archaemacrocera). PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/ Oligocene) [A].



Genus KELNERIA Matile

KELNERIA Matile, 1979: 36. Type species: Kelneria setosa Matile, 1979, by original designation.
abundare Meunier, 1904c: 91 [1904d: 102] (Macrocera). PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
ciliata Meunier, 1904c: 93 [1904d: 104] (Macrocera). PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
filiformis Meunier, 1904c: 93 [1904d: 104] (Macrocera). PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
setosa Matile, 1979: 38. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].


Genus KEROPLATUS Bosc

*KEROPLATUS Bosc, 1792: 42. Type species: Keroplatus tipuloides Bosc, 1792, by monotypy.
CEROPLATUS Fabricius, 1798: 550 (unnecessary emendation of Keroplatus Bosc). Type species: Keroplatus tipuloides Bosc, 1792, automatic.
major Meunier, 1904c: 172 [1904d: 183]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].


Genus MACROCERA Meigen

*MACROCERA Meigen, 1803: 261. Type species: Macrocera lutea Meigen, 1804, by subsequent designation of Guérin-Méneville in Bory de Saint-Vincent (1826: 7).
PROMACROCERA Armbruster, 1938: 118. Type species: Promacrocera archaica Armbruster, 1938, by monotypy. [Preoccupied by Speiser, 1913.]
MACROURA, error for Macrocera (Berendt, 1845: 57).
archaica Armbruster, 1938: 118 (Promacrocera). PA: Germany (Miocene) [C].
elegantissima Meunier, 1904c: 94 [1904d: 105]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
grandis Meunier, 1899b: 163. Nomen nudum.
longicornis Meunier, 1904c: 94 [1904d: 105]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
melanopoda Hong in Hong et al., 1974: 132. PA: China (Eocene) [A].
minuta Meunier, 1899b: 163. Nomen nudum.
soccata Meunier, 1899b: 163 [1899e: pl I, fig. 7]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/ Oligocene) [A].
[Validated by bibliographic reference to the plate in Meunier (1899e).]
umbonata Statz, 1944a: 70. PA: Germany (Oligocene) [C].


Genus NECROMYZA Scudder

NECROMYZA Scudder, 1895: 121. Type species: Necromyza pedata Scudder, 1895, by monotypy.
pedata Scudder, 1895: 121. PA: Switzerland (Miocene) [C].

Genus ORFELIA Costa

ZELMIRA Meigen, 1800: 16. Suppressed by I.C.Z.N. (1963: 339).
*ORFELIA Costa, 1857: 448. Type species: Platyura fasciata Meigen, 1804, by subsequent designation of Hardy (1960: 200).
Unidentified sp.-PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A] (Krzeminska & Krzeminski, 1992: 64­p;65).


Genus PALAEOASINDULUM Meunier

PALAEOASINDULUM Meunier, 1917a: 92. Type species: Asindulum curvipalpe Meunier, 1904, by monotypy.
curvipalpe Meunier, 1904c: 105 [1904d: 116] (Asindulum). PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].


Genus PALEOPLATYURA Meunier

*PALEOPLATYURA Meunier, 1899b: 164. Type species: Mycetobia macrocera Meunier, 1899, by monotypy.
eocenica Cockerell, 1920a: 249. NE: USA (Eocene) [C].
loevi Meunier, 1923b: fig. 1. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
loewi Meunier, 1922b: 114. Nomen nudum.
macrocera Meunier, 1899b: 163 (Mycetobia). PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].

Genus PLATYURA Meigen

*PLATYURA Meigen, 1803: 264. Type species: Platyura marginata Meigen, 1804, by subsequent designation of Blanchard in Audouin et al. (1847: pl. 164).
armata Meunier, 1899b: 164. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
calcar Meunier, 1899b: 164. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
ceroplatites Meunier, 1904c: 103 [1904c: 114]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
ceroplatoides Meunier, 1904c: 102 [1904d: 113]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/ Oligocene) [A].
conjuncta Loew, 1850b: 35. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
crassicornis Meunier, 1917a: 91. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
difficilis Meunier, 1899b: 165. Nomen nudum.
distincta Meunier, 1904c: 101 [1904d: 112]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
ectorsii Meunier, 1904c: 100 [1904d: 111]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
ehrhardti Loew, 1850b: 35. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
exigia Meunier, 1907a: 54. AF: Tanzania (Pleistocene/Holocene) [K].
filipes Meunier, 1899b: 165. Nomen nudum.
graciosa Meunier, 1904c: 98 [1904d: 109]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
kunowi Meunier, 1904c: 96 [1904d: 107]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
mikii Meunier, 1904c: 101 [1904d: 112]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
moniliformis Meunier, 1904c: 99 [1904d: 110]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
noda Hong, 1981: 88. PA: China (Eocene) [A].
obliqua Cockerell, 1921c: 463. PA: UK (England) (Eocene/Oligocene) [C].
pusilla Meunier, 1899b: 165 [1899e: pl. I, fig. 10]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/ Oligocene) [A].
[Valid by bibliographic reference to plate in Meunier (1899e).]
subaequalis Meunier, 1899b: 165. Nomen nudum.
verrali Meunier, 1904c: 97 [1904d: 108]. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
Unidentified sp.-PA: UK (England) (Pliocene) [A] (Reid, 1886: 248).


Genus PROAPEMON Melander

PROAPEMON Melander, 1949: 9. Type species: Proapemon infernus Melander, 1949, by original designation.

infernus Melander, 1949: 9. NE: USA (Oligocene) [C].

Genus PROCEROPLATUS Edwards

*PROCEROPLATUS Edwards, 1925: 523. Type species: Platyura pictipennis Williston, 1896, by original designation.

hennigi Schmalfuss, 1979: 4. NT: Dominican Republic (Oligocene/Miocene) [A].


Genus SCHLUETERIMYIA Matile

SCHLUETERIMYIA Matile, 1981: 102. Type species: Schlueterimyia cenomanica Matile, 1981, by original designation.
cenomanica Matile, 1981: 102. PA: France (Upper Cretaceous) [A].


This page last revised 17 February 1997 by nle