Berothidae Explained

The Berothidae are a family of winged insects of the order Neuroptera. They are known commonly as the beaded lacewings.^[1] The family was first named by Anton Handlirsch in 1906. The family consists of 24 genera and 110 living species distributed discontinuously worldwide, mostly in tropical and subtropical regions.^[2] Numerous extinct species have also been described. Their ecology is poorly known, but in the species where larval stages have been documented, the larvae are predators of termites.^[3]

Systematics

A considerable fossil diversity of beaded lacewings is known from the Late Jurassic onwards, containing numerous genera which are likewise basal or incertae sedis.

Subfamily Berothimerobiinae

• Berothimerobius

Subfamily Berothinae

• Asadeteva
• Barrowiella
• Berlekrumyia
• Berotha
• †Elektroberotha Eocene (Lutetian); Baltic amber, northern Europe
• Isoscelipteron
• Lekrugeria
• Lomamyia
• Nodalla
• Podallea
• Quasispermophorella
• Spermophorella
• Spiroberotha
• Stenobiella
• †Xenoberotha Green River Formation, United States, Eocene

Subfamily Cyrenoberothinae

• †Aggregataberotha (Cenomanian, Burmese amber, Myanmar)
• †Araripeberotha Cretaceous (Aptian); Crato Formation, Brazil
• †Caririberotha Cretaceous (Aptian); Crato Formation, Brazil
• Cyrenoberotha
• Manselliberotha
• †Microberotha (Eocene (Ypresian), Hat Creek amber, Canada)^[4]
• Ormiscocerus
• †Protoberotha (Cenomanian, Burmese amber, Myanmar)^[5]
• †Sibelliberotha (Barremian, Lebanese amber)
• Speleoberotha ^[6]

• †Mesithone Callovian/Oxfordian; Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan; Aptian; Zaza Formation, Turga Formation, Russia
• †Oloberotha Aptian; Yixian Formation, China

Subfamily Nosybinae

• †Banoberotha Cretaceous (Barremian); Lebanese amber, Lebanon
• Naizema
• Nosybus
• Tanzanberotha

Subfamily Nyrminae

• Nyrma

Subfamily Protobiellinae

• Austroberothella
• Protobiella

Subfamily Trichomatinae

• Trichoberotha
• Trichoma

Subfamily Incertae sedis

• †Ansoberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Berothone Callovian/Oxfordian; Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan
• †Cantabroberotha Cretaceous (Albian); Spanish amber, Spain
• †Cornoberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Dasyberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Epimesoberotha Cretaceous (Berriasian); Lulworth Formation, United Kingdom
• †Ethiroberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Haploberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Iceloberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Jersiberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar; Cretaceous (Turonian); New Jersey amber, United States
• †Krokhathone Jurassic (Callovian/Oxfordian); Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan
• †Maculaberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Magniberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Nascimberotha Turonian; New Jersey amber, United States
• †Plesiorobius Cretaceous (Campanian); Canadian amber, Canada; Campanian; Taymyr amber, Russia; Cenomanian, unknown formation, Russia
• †Proberotha Lutetian, Baltic Amber, northern Europe
• †Osmyloberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Sinosmylites Daohugou, Haifanggou Formation, China, Callovian, Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Callovian/Oxfordian, Ulaan-Ereg Formation, Mongolia, Late Jurassic (Tithonian)
• †Systenoberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Telistoberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Xiaoberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar

Formerly included taxa

Subfamily Paraberothinae (now included in Rhachiberothidae)

• †Acanthoberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Alboberotha Cretaceous (Albian); Charentense amber, France
• †Astioberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Chimerhachiberotha Barremian; Lebanese amber, Lebanon
• †Creagroparaberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Eorhachiberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Kujiberotha Cretaceous (Santonian); Kuji amber, Japan
• †Micromantispa Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Paraberotha Barremian; Lebanese amber, Lebanon
• †Pseudosisyra Aptian; Zaza Formation, Russia
• †Raptorapax Barremian; Lebanese amber, Lebanon
• †Retinoberotha Cenomanian; Bezonnais amber, France,
• †Rhachibermissa Turonian; New Jersey amber, United States
• †Scoloberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Spinoberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Stygioberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar
• †Uranoberotha Cenomanian; Burmese amber, Myanmar

Notes and References

1. Winterton . Shaun L. . 2010 . A new species of Stenobiella Tillyard (Neuroptera, Berothidae) from Australia . . 64 . 1–8 . 10.3897/zookeys.64.403 . 3088400 . 21594021 . free .
2. Aspöck . Ulrike . Randolf . Susanne . 2 December 2014 . Beaded lacewings – a pictorial identification key to the genera, their biogeographics and a phylogentic analysis (Insecta: Neuroptera: Berothidae) . Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift . 61 . 2 . 155-172 . 10.3897/dez.61.8850 . Pensoft. free .
3. Engel . Michael S. . Winterton . Shaun L. . Breitkreuz . Laura C. V. . 2018-01-07 . Phylogeny and Evolution of Neuropterida: Where Have Wings of Lace Taken Us? . Annual Review of Entomology . 63 . 531–551 . 10.1146/annurev-ento-020117-043127 . 1545-4487 . 29324039.
4. Archibald . S.B. . Makarkin, V.N. . 2004 . New genus of minute Berothidae (Neuroptera) from Early Eocene amber of British Columbia . The Canadian Entomologist . 136 . 1 . 10.4039/n03-043 . 61–76 . 10.1.1.552.2285 . 36459014 .
5. Huang . S. . Ren . D. . Wang . Y. . 2019 . A new basal beaded lacewing (Neuroptera: Berothidae) from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber . Cretaceous Research . 95 . 1-7 . 10.1016/j.cretres.2018.10.025. free .
6. Machado . R. J. P. . Martins . C. C. . Aspöck . H. . De Miranda Tavares . L. G. . Aspöck . U. . 2022 . The first cave associated genus of Berothidae (Insecta: Neuroptera), and a new interpretation of the subfamily Cyrenoberothinae . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 195 . 4 . 1422-1444 . 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab104.