Seychelles/Aust/SAmer

[Andrew Whittington]

Ralph,

Yes there is a VERY good example from the Diptera, in the family
Thaumaleidae.  Afrothaumalea, the only Afrotropical genus, is a
paleaogenic, austral element of a shared fauna with Austothaumalea
Tonnoir, recorded from temperate Australia and New Zealand.

Ref:  Stuckenberg, B.R. 1960. A new genus and species of Thaumaleidae
from South Africa (Diptera).  Proc. R. ent. Soc. Lond (B) 29: 107-109.

For similar reasons Dr Stuckenberg had an interest in Nemapalpus
(Psychodidae, Diptera) which he located in Nothofagus forest.
I'm sure if you write to him at

Natal Museum
P. Bag 9070
Pietermaritzburg
3200
SOUTH AFRICA
he will be only to pleased to explain in far more detail.

There must be many similar Gondwanaland relictual groups. I have a hunch
the Mecopteran Anomalobittacus is another such Gondwanaland relic.  It is
wingless and inhabits mountainous regions of the S.W. Cape.  I vaguely
recall some discussion about the possible S.American distribution of a
related genus.  Dr Stuckenberg (or Dr Jason Londt at the same address)
may be able to give you more on that.

I also recall that Dr S. Endro..dy-Younga (Transvaal Museum, P.O. Box
413, Pretoria 0001, SOUTH AFRICA) was interested in coloptera faunas with
similar patterns.  He located the Clamid genus Sphaerothorax in Chilean
Nothofagus forest, previously only known from New Zealand -

Ref: S. Endro..dy-Younga.  1991.  Some results of the Transvaal Museum
South America Expedition, 1990-91. Proceedings of the 8th Entomological
Congress of the Entomological Society of southern Africa, Bloemfontein,
1-4 July 1991: 124a.

I do not have a detailed knowledge of the literature of the gondwanan
taxa, but Both of the above mentioned people should be able to help.

Andy Whittington
National Museums of Scotland
Chambers Street
Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Scotland
DDI: 0131 247 4261
FAX:  0131 220 4819
aew at nms.ac.uk