Subfamily Selenocephalinae
Tribe Drabescini

The Drabescini were reviewed by Zhang and Webb (1996) who synonymised the two species described by Evans from Australia, D. heroni Evans (1966: 221) and D. palmerstoni Evans (1972a: 199), with D. samoanus Osborn. The broad head with the ocelli on the front margin, together with the overlapping apices of the tegmina allows D. samoanus to be easily recognised in the Australian fauna. Little is known of its biology. Drabescus conspicuus Distant, widespread in the Oriental region from India to the Philippines, is recorded on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean south of Java.

Drabescus samoanus Osborn

Species of Drabescini known to occur in Australia

Subfamily Selenocephalinae
Tribe Paraboloponini

The Paraboloponini were reviewed by Zhang and Webb (1996) who recorded two species of Dryadomorpha (Webb 1981), Nirvanguina placida and Carvaka contempta from Australia. Fletcher and Semeraro (2007) transferred Exitianellus elegantula to Carvaka and added three new species to the genus. The two species of Dryadomorpha are easily recognised by the expanded genae which form the sides of a more or less continuous curved surface across the face. Both species occur beyond Australia, D. metrosideri in the Pacific and D. pallida widespread across the warmer parts of Asia to North Africa. Nirvanguina placida is also found in North Queensland and New Guinea but the Australian species of Carvaka appear to be endemic. Viraktamath (1998) divided the genus Carvaka into three species groups all of which are represented in Australia. As noted by Zhang and Webb (1996), the other species placed in Carvaka are Oriental in distribution.
[update: 18.iv.2007]

Dryadomorpha pallida Kirkaldy