Overview
The moss bugs are a cryptic group of insects restricted to Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand and South America. Their exact taxonomic placement and affinities to the other Heteroptera are unclear. The Peloridiidae is the only family included in the superfamily Peloridioidea.
The Peloridiidae primarily enjoy cool, moist habitats in forests containing members of the plant genus
Nothofagus
. As their common name suggests, they feed on plant material from mosses. They are slow moving, and it has been suggested that their unusual wing venation helps camouflage them against predation.
Distribution
A total of 5 genera are recorded as occuring in Australia and Lord Howe Island. The species
Hemiodoecellus fidelis
,
Heniodoecus leai
and
Hemiowoodwardia wilsoni
are the only species recorded from their respective genera. The genus
Howeria
contains three species, all endemic to Lord Howe Island.
Hackeriella
contains two species restricted to the east coast of New South Wales.