Neelidae


Neelidae is a family of springtails in the order Neelipleona. There are at least 4 genera and more than 30 described species in Neelidae.

Genera

These four genera belong to the family Neelidae:Megalothorax Willem, 1900Neelides Caroli, 1912Neelus Folsom, 1896Zelandothorax Delamare Debouteville & Massoud, 1963

Description

Members of the family Neelidae are generally minute, averaging around 500 μm. They possess globular bodies superficially like that of the Symphypleona, with relatively long legs and a well-developed furca compared to other soil-dwelling springtails.

Phylogeny

Neelidae was initially considered to have a close affinity with Symphypleona, based on morphological characteristics shared between the two groups such as a globular shape, neosminthuroid setae and others. However, molecular data places them as a basal group to all other Collembola.