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Meganisoptera ✝
| Description | Meganisoptera is an extinct order of very large to gigantic insects, occasionally called griffinflies. The order was formerly named Protodonata, the "proto-Odonata", for their similar appearance and supposed relation to modern Odonata (damselflies and dragonflies). They range in Palaeozoic (Late Carboniferous to Late Permian) times. Though most were only slightly larger than modern dragonflies, the order includes the largest known insect species, such as the late Carboniferous Meganeura monyi, Megatypus, and the even larger early Permian Meganeuropsis permiana, with wingspans of up to 71 centimetres (28 in). From Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meganisoptera, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source Data |
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| Rank | order | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxonomy (GBIF,PBDB) | Life : Animalia : Arthropoda : Insecta : Meganisoptera | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxonomic Status (GBIF) | accepted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification (PBDB,GBIF) |
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| Common Name | griffinfly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific Name | Meganisoptera | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opinions (PBDB) |
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| Status (PBDB) | extinct | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxon Size (PBDB) | 107 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Recorded Appearance | 323 - 315 Ma Carboniferous | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Recorded Appearance | 237 - 228 Ma Late/Upper Triassic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Environment | terrestrial (based on Insecta) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Motility | actively mobile (based on Arthropoda) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taphonomy | chitin (based on Insecta) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primary Reference (PBDB) | A. V. Martynov. 1932. New Permian Palaeoptera with the discussion of some problems of their evolution. Akademiya Nauk SSSR, Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta 1:1-44 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common Name(s) | Griffinfly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meganisoptera |
Fossil Distribution
Subtaxa
| Name | Status | Common Name(s) | Fossil Occurrences | Oldest | Youngest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aulertupidae ✝ family | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 315 Ma Carboniferous | 315 Ma Carboniferous | |
| Kohlwaldiidae ✝ family | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 2 | 315 Ma Carboniferous | 311 Ma Carboniferous | |
| Meganeuridae ✝ family | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 80 | 323 Ma Carboniferous | 272 Ma Permian | |
| Namurotypidae ✝ family | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 2 | 318 Ma Carboniferous | 318 Ma Carboniferous | |
| Paralogidae ✝ family | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 3 | 315 Ma Carboniferous | 307 Ma Carboniferous | |
| Alanympha ✝ genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 311 Ma Carboniferous | 311 Ma Carboniferous | |
| Asapheneura ✝ genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 315 Ma Carboniferous | 315 Ma Carboniferous | |
| Dragonympha ✝ genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 311 Ma Carboniferous | 311 Ma Carboniferous | |
| Palaeotherates ✝ genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 315 Ma Carboniferous | 315 Ma Carboniferous | |
| Paralogopsis ✝ genus | listed (PBDB) | 1 | 311 Ma Carboniferous | 311 Ma Carboniferous | |
| Schlechtendaliola ✝ genus | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 1 | 303 Ma Carboniferous | 303 Ma Carboniferous | |
| Typoides ✝ genus | doubtful (GBIF) listed (PBDB) |
Synonymy List
| Year | Name and Author |
|---|---|
| 1885 | Protodonata Brongniart p. 65 |
| 1932 | Meganisoptera Martynov |
| 1952 | Protodonata Laurentiaux-Vieira et al. |
| 1992 | Protodonata Carpenter p. 59 |
| 2001 | Meganisoptera Bechly et al. |
| 2003 | Meganisoptera Brauckmann et al. p. 35 |
| 2007 | Meganisoptera Bechly |
| 2009 | Meganisoptera Nel et al. p. 93 |
References
Data courtesy of: PBDB: The Paleobiology Database, Creative Commons CC-BY licenced. , GBIF: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, various licences, iDigBio, various licences, and EOL: The Encyclopedia of Life (Open Data Public Domain). Because fossils are made of minerals too!
North America Plate