The Megalodontesidae (until recently spelled

Megalodontidae Megalodontidae is an extinct family of bivalve molluscs that reportedly lived from the Devonian to the Jurassic period. Nomenclature A family of insects was also previously called "Megalodontidae", containing the sawfly genus '' Megalodontes'' ...

, a name already in use for a family of fossil molluscs) are a small family of

sawflies Sawflies are the insects of the suborder Symphyta within the order Hymenoptera, alongside ants, bees, and wasps. The common name comes from the saw-like appearance of the ovipositor, which the females use to cut into the plants where they lay ...

, containing a single living genus, '' Megalodontes'', with some 40 species restricted to the temperate regions of

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...

. Larvae of Megalodontesidae feed on

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plants. They are distinguished from the closely related

Pamphiliidae Pamphiliidae (sometimes incorrectly spelled Pamphilidae) is a small wasp family within Symphyta, containing some 200 species from the temperate regions of North America and Eurasia. The larvae feed on plants (often conifers), using silk to bu ...

by their serrate or pectinate antennae. In 2016, a phylogenetic analysis of the superfamily Pamphilioidea found that the extinct family Praesiricidae was paraphyletic with respect to Megalodontesidae, so Praesiricidae was proposed as a synonym of Megalodontesidae.

Genera

As of 2016, the following genera belong to the family Megalodontesidae, divided into four subfamilies: * Subfamily Megalodontesinae (synonym: Rudisiriciinae ) ** †'' Aulidontes'' ** †'' Jibaissodes'' ** '' Megalodontes'' ** †'' Rudisiricius'' * Subfamily Archoxyelydinae ** †'' Archoxyelyda'' ** †'' Xyelydontes'' * Subfamily Decorisiricinae ** †'' Brevisiricius'' ** †'' Decorisiricius'' ** †'' Limbisiricius'' * Subfamily Praesiricinae ** †'' Praesirex'' ** †'' Turgidontes'' * ''

Incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'' ** †'' Hoplitolyda'' ** †'' Sinosepulca''

References

Biolib

Aramel.free.fr
* R.B. Benson: Handbook for the identification of British insects. Vol IV: Hymenoptera. 2. Symphyta Section a. Published by the Royal Entomological Society of London, 1951. Sawfly families Sawflies Pamphilioidea Taxa named by Friedrich Wilhelm Konow {{sawfly-stub