Dinopanorpa
Encyclopedia
Dinopanorpa is an extinct monotypic
genus
of scorpionfly that contains the single species Dinopanorpa megarche and is the type genus of the extinct family Dinopanorpidae
. The genus is known from a single hindwing
specimen, the holotype
, currently deposited in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History
, as number "69173", and which was first described by Dr Theodore D.A. Cockerell
in 1924. The name is a combination of the Greek
deino meaning "terrible" or "monstrous" and "Panorpa
", the type genus of Panorpidae the family in which Dinopanorpa was first placed.
The hindwing was found by A. Kuzentzov in Early Eocene to Early Oligocene Khutsin Formation deposits outcropping along the Kudya River in Primorsky Krai
, Russia. The 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long specimen is a nearly complete compression fossil
missing only a small section near the tip of the wing due to a break in the matrix, and having well preserved dark and light coloration. Dinopanorpa possesses an "R1" vein which almost reaches the apex of the wing and turns down towards the wing tip near its termination. This elongated "R1" vein is a character not found in any other extant or extinct mecopteran families and is only shared by the related genus Dinokanaga
found in Eocene formations of British Columbia
, Canada and Washington State, USA. The two genera are distinguished by the number of wing vein characters including lack of fine reticulated crossveins in Dinopanorpa, and the "Rs" vein branched 3-5 times in Dinokanaga.
Dr. Cockerell placed Dinopanorpa in the modern family Panorpidae when describing the genus in 1924. This placement was changed by Dr Robert Tillyard
who reexamined the genus in 1933 and moved Dinoanorpa to the extinct family Orthophlebiidae. The move to Orthophlebiidae was not only maintained by Dr O. Martynova but strengthened when she synonymized Dinopanorpa with the genus Orthophlebia in 1962. This synonymy and familial placement was rejected in 1972 when Dr Frank Carpenter
resurrected the genus Dinoanorpa and moved it to the new family Dinopanorpidae
. Though the genus is considered monophyletic at this time, an undescribed new species has been reported. In a 1978 publication Dr. V. Zherikhin reported, but did not illustrate or figure, a scorpionfly specimen which belongs to a new species of Dinopanorpa from the Paleocene
Tadushi Fromation in Primorsky Krai. However since the 1978 reference no further study of the specimen has occurred and the species remains unnamed.
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of scorpionfly that contains the single species Dinopanorpa megarche and is the type genus of the extinct family Dinopanorpidae
Dinopanorpidae
Dinopanorpidae is a small family of extinct insects in the order Mecoptera that contains two genera and seven species.The name is a combination of the Greek deino meaning "terrible" or "monstrous" and "Panorpidae", the family to which Dinopanorpa was first assigned. The family was first...
. The genus is known from a single hindwing
Insect wing
Insects are the only group of invertebrates known to have evolved flight. Insects possess some remarkable flight characteristics and abilities, still far superior to attempts by humans to replicate their capabilities. Even our understanding of the aerodynamics of flexible, flapping wings and how...
specimen, the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, currently deposited in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
, as number "69173", and which was first described by Dr Theodore D.A. Cockerell
Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell
Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell was an American zoologist, born at Norwood, England, and brother of Sydney Cockerell. He was educated at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, and then studied botany in the field in Colorado in 1887-90...
in 1924. The name is a combination of the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
deino meaning "terrible" or "monstrous" and "Panorpa
Panorpa
Panorpa is a genus of scorpionflies that is widely dispersed in the Northern hemisphere. However, they do not occur in the western USA and Canada.About 240 species are described as of 2007.Larvae and adults feed on carrion....
", the type genus of Panorpidae the family in which Dinopanorpa was first placed.
The hindwing was found by A. Kuzentzov in Early Eocene to Early Oligocene Khutsin Formation deposits outcropping along the Kudya River in Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
, Russia. The 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long specimen is a nearly complete compression fossil
Compression fossil
A compression fossil is a fossil preserved in sedimentary rock that has undergone physical compression. While it is uncommon to find animals preserved as good compression fossils, it is very common to find plants preserved this way...
missing only a small section near the tip of the wing due to a break in the matrix, and having well preserved dark and light coloration. Dinopanorpa possesses an "R1" vein which almost reaches the apex of the wing and turns down towards the wing tip near its termination. This elongated "R1" vein is a character not found in any other extant or extinct mecopteran families and is only shared by the related genus Dinokanaga
Dinokanaga
Dinokanaga is a small genus of scorpionfly belonging to the extinct family Dinopanorpidae. The six species D. andersoni, D. dowsonae, D. hillsi, D. sternbergi, D. webbi, and D...
found in Eocene formations of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada and Washington State, USA. The two genera are distinguished by the number of wing vein characters including lack of fine reticulated crossveins in Dinopanorpa, and the "Rs" vein branched 3-5 times in Dinokanaga.
Dr. Cockerell placed Dinopanorpa in the modern family Panorpidae when describing the genus in 1924. This placement was changed by Dr Robert Tillyard
Robert John Tillyard
Robert John Tillyard FRS was an English–Australian entomologist and geologist. He was sometimes known as Robin....
who reexamined the genus in 1933 and moved Dinoanorpa to the extinct family Orthophlebiidae. The move to Orthophlebiidae was not only maintained by Dr O. Martynova but strengthened when she synonymized Dinopanorpa with the genus Orthophlebia in 1962. This synonymy and familial placement was rejected in 1972 when Dr Frank Carpenter
Frank M. Carpenter
Frank M. Carpenter received his PhD from Harvard University, and was curator of fossil insects at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology for 60 years. He studied the Permian fossil insects of Elmo, Kansas, and compared the North American fossil insect fauna with Paleozoic taxa known from...
resurrected the genus Dinoanorpa and moved it to the new family Dinopanorpidae
Dinopanorpidae
Dinopanorpidae is a small family of extinct insects in the order Mecoptera that contains two genera and seven species.The name is a combination of the Greek deino meaning "terrible" or "monstrous" and "Panorpidae", the family to which Dinopanorpa was first assigned. The family was first...
. Though the genus is considered monophyletic at this time, an undescribed new species has been reported. In a 1978 publication Dr. V. Zherikhin reported, but did not illustrate or figure, a scorpionfly specimen which belongs to a new species of Dinopanorpa from the Paleocene
Paleocene
The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...
Tadushi Fromation in Primorsky Krai. However since the 1978 reference no further study of the specimen has occurred and the species remains unnamed.