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Issue: Vol. 9 No. 5: September 2026
Type: Correspondence
Published: 2026-09-24
DOI: 10.11646/palaeoentomology.9.5.4
Page range: 395-398
Abstract views: 194
PDF downloaded: 9

A new genus and species of Spilapteridae (Insecta: Palaeodictyoptera) from the Pennsylvanian of Pszów spoil heap locality in Silesia, Poland

Charles University; Faculty of Science; Department of Zoology; Viničná 7; CZ-128 00; Praha 2; Czech Republic
Jarošovická 1134; 73532 Rychvald; Czech Republic
Charles University; Faculty of Science; Department of Zoology; Viničná 7; CZ-128 00; Praha 2; Czech Republic
Insecta Palaeodictyoptera

Abstract

The Palaeodictyopterida were a diverse group of insects that arose during the Palaeozoic, with the first fossil record from the end of the Mississippian (Namurian A), about 325 mya (Brauckmann & Schneider, 1996). They represent the only insect superorder rendered extinct by the Permian-Triassic extinction event. Within the Palaeodictyopterida, four orders have been described: Palaeodictyoptera, Megasecoptera, Dicliptera, and Diaphanopterodea (Grimaldi & Engel, 2005). The mouthparts of Palaeodictyopterida were modified into haustellate piercing-sucking mouthparts, indicating that perhaps the entire group was herbivorous (Carpenter, 1992). They were also marked by a high degree of morphological disparity, particularly amongst length of mouthparts and body size, with wing spans anywhere from 10 to 550 mm, as well as diverse wing venation patterns (Prokop & Engel, 2019).

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