, this family includes six genera:
Extant genera •
Afrarchaea Forster &
Platnick, 1984 –
South Africa •
Austrarchaea Forster & Platnick, 1984 –
Australia •
Eriauchenus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881 –
Madagascar •
Madagascarchaea Wood & Scharff, 2018 – Madagascar •
Zephyrarchaea Rix & Harvey, 2012 – Australia
Fossils Fossils found in
amber, particularly from the
Baltic and
Myanmar (Burma), have been assigned to a number of extant and extinct genera placed in the family Archaeidae. The extinct species
Burmesarchaea grimaldii (syn.
Afrarchaea grimaldii) was found in Burmese amber dated to 88–95
Mya.
Jurarchaea zherikhini Eskov, 1987 was previously considered a member of this family. Still, it is more likely a holarchaeid or a pararchaeid. • †
Archaea Koch and Berendt 1854
Baltic,
Bitterfeld amber, Eocene • †
Archaemecys Saupe and Selden 2009
Charentese amber, France,
Cenomanian • †
Baltarchaea Eskov 1992 Baltic amber, Eocene • †
Burmesarchaea Wunderlich 2008
Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian • †
Eoarchaea Forster and Platnick 1984 Baltic, Bitterfeld amber, Eocene • †
Eomysmauchenius Wunderlich 2008 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian • †
Lacunauchenius Wunderlich 2008 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian • †
Myrmecarchaea Wunderlich 2004 Baltic amber, Eocene • †
Patarchaea Selden et al. 2008
Daohugou, China,
Callovian • †
Planarchaea Wunderlich 2015 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian • †
Saxonarchaea Wunderlich 2004 Baltic, Bitterfeld amber, Eocene
Phylogeny A 2012 Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of 15 Archaeidae species, using combined molecular and morphological data, produced the cladogram shown below. Species representing modern genera found in Africa and Madagascar (
Afrarchaea and
Eriauchenius) were not resolved into monophyletic groups;
Zephyrarchaea had not then been split off from
Austrarchaea. The species found in European amber formed a clade, whereas
Burmesarchaea grimaldii, from Burmese amber, appeared to be basal to modern genera. }} ==References==