• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.139-147
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• 2003

Burckhardt (1987) combined Aphalaridae and Spondyliaspididae into the Psyllidae, as there were no character sets which had clearly defined these three families. During the analysis on the character evolution of the psyllids from the world including Australia, there were a few different results for the taxonomy of the Spondyliaspidinae. 52 species and 28 genera in the Australian native psyllids were dissected to examine the taxonomic position of the subfamily Spondyliaspidinae. All of the dissected psyllids in the subfamily Spondyliaspidinae had one follicle in the male testes, but the subfamilies of the Psyllidae except Spondyliaspidinae were having two or more follicles. By the characteristics with living on the Eucalyptus host plants recently evolved, having just one follicle which clearly defined it from other families and experienced an explosive specific diversification in the Gondwana region, it is reasonable to separate the subfamily Spondyliaspidinae from the family Psyllidae with two or more follicles.