Abstract
The Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation is a well-known Konservat Lagerstätte with a very rich entomofauna. The Odonata are especially very diverse and extensively studied (Bechly, 1998, 2000, 2007, 2010; Nel et al., 1998; Bechly et al., 2001; Bechly & Ueda, 2002) with representatives of all the extant anisopteran main subgroups. This fauna is especially interesting because it comprises some of the oldest and most ‘basal’ groups of the highly diverse extant ‘libelluloid’ dragonflies, or Clavilabiata Bechly, 1996. Among these, the monospecific family Araripephlebiidae Bechly, 1998 is remarkable in the highly specialized hind wing cubito-anal area that contains a curious supplementary longitudinal vein more or less parallel to AA and CuA, unique among the Odonata. Nevertheless, this family remained rather poorly known by three described specimens, only females.
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