THE ELECTRENTOMOID PSOCIDS (PSOCOPTERA) 1 
By Edward L. Mockford 
Department of Biological Sciences 
Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 
The psocids dealt with in this paper, the electrentomoids, are 
forms resembling amphientomids but lacking scales or at most having 
a vestiture of minute scale-like structures on the wings. Universally, 
the subcosta of the forewing describes an arc and rejoins the radius. 
There is a tendency, not universal, for the two anal veins of the fore- 
wing to join together before reaching the wing margin. 
These psocids were first treated taxonomically by Enderlein (1911 : 
337) as the subfamily Electrentominae of Amphientomidae, to 
accommodate the single genus Electrentomum t with a single included 
species, E. klebsianum , from Baltic amber. A second genus, Parelec- 
trentomum , with a single species, P . priscum, also from Baltic amber, 
was described by Roesler (1940:228). A third genus, Manicapsocus, 
the first living form assigned to the Electrentominae, was described 
by Smithers (1965:46) from Angola. 
Also included among the electrentomoid psocids are Compsoc.us 
Banks (1930:183) and Plaurnannia Roesler (1940:234). Banks 
placed Compsocus in the family Amphientomidae due to the presence 
of minute scale-like structures forming the vestiture of the surface 
of the forewing. The wing venation and other characters mark 
this genus as clearly electrentomoid. Roesler made Plaurnannia the 
basis of a new family, Plaumanniidae. I retain this group as one of 
the electrentomoid families, but give it a new name (Troctopsocidae) 
because of homonymy of Plaurnannia. 
I have been able to examine specimens of all of the described living 
species of electrentomoids plus representatives of six new genera and 
fourteen new species from the American tropics. The new forms are 
described here and three new families are erected. Compsocus and 
Troctopsocus are redescribed; notes on Manicapsocus are included, 
as is a key to the genera. Finally, a preliminary attempt is made to 
Hhis work has been supported by National Science Foundation grants 
NSFG-19263, GB-2713, and GB-5163 from September, 1961 to the present. 
Some equipment used in this project was purchased with grants from Illinois 
State University (grant numbers 61-15 and 65-24). My field work in 
South America in 1959 was supported by a travel grant from the American 
Museum of Natural History, New York City. 
Manuscript received by the editor June 26, 1967. 
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