Overview
Though some psilids are agricultural pests in other countries, no pest species are recorded for Australia. Larvae of
Chyliza
spp. are recorded in sap flows of trees, eating into stems or roots of plants or making galls.
Description
The main diagnostic features (particularly for
Chyliza
) include:
Subcostal break of vein C extensive; vein Sc abruptly discontinued opposite break, not distally converging with vein C; Vein R1 without setulae; face strongly sclerotised and prominent, but with narrow median groove on lower margin; metathoracic postcoxal bridge present.
Distribution
Though the family is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, only the genus
Chyliza
lives in Australia (found from north Queensland to Victoria) and our two species are undetermined as yet.