Paraphrynovelia is a genus of bugs with just two species in southern Africa. Together they are considered by some to form the family Paraphrynoveliidae, although some suggest that they should be treated as members of the Macroveliidae. Unlike other Gerromorpha that are found on the surface of water, Paraphrynovelia brincki specimens were found on wet walls covered in moss or in leaf litter on the forest floor.[1] The family status was suggested in 1978.[2]

Paraphrynovelia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Infraorder: Gerromorpha
Superfamily: Hydrometroidea
Family: Paraphrynoveliidae
Andersen, 1978
Genus: Paraphrynovelia
Poisson, 1955

The species in the genus are Paraphrynovelia brincki Poisson, 1957 and P. slateri Andersen, 1978. Both have been described on the basis of apterous adults. A molecular study making use of P. brincki suggests that they are a sister group of the Macroveliidae.[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ Bruckner, H.; Zettel, H. (2018). "The first specimen of Paraphrynoveliidae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) in the Natural History Museum Vienna" (PDF). Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, B. 120: 9–13.
  2. ^ Andersen, N. Møller (1978). "A new family of semiaquatic bugs for Paraphrynovelia Poisson with a cladistic analysis of relationships (Insecta, Hemiptera, Gerromorpha)". Steenstrupia. 4 (19): 211–225.
  3. ^ Damgaard, J. (2008). "Phylogeny of the semiaquatic bugs (Hemiptera-Heteroptera, Gerromorpha)". Insect Syst. Evol. 39: 431–460. doi:10.1163/187631208788784264.
  4. ^ Damgaard, Jakob; Ferraz Figueiredo Moreira, Felipe; Hayashi, Masakazu; Weir, Tom A.; Zettel, Herbert (2012). "Molecular phylogeny of the pond treaders (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Mesoveliidae), discussion of the fossil record and a checklist of species assigned to the family". Insect Systematics & Evolution. 43 (3–4): 175–212. doi:10.1163/1876312X04302004. ISSN 1399-560X.