Dinopanorpidae
Encyclopedia
Dinopanorpidae is a small family of extinct insect
s in the order Mecoptera
(scorpionflies) 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
(the type genus of this family) was first assigned. The family was first described in 1972 by paleoentomologist
Dr. Frank Carpenter
to encompass the genus Dinopanorpa
described by Dr. Theodore D.A. Cockerell
in 1924. As with all members of order Mecoptera, dinopanorpids possess an elongated rostrum
and four elongated wings of nearly equal size, and uniquely a "R1" vein which almost reaches the apex of the wing. The elongated "R1" vein is a character not found in any other extant or extinct mecopterans.
Tadushi Fromation while the type and only specimen of Dinopanorpa megarche is from the Khutsin Formation of Primorsky Krai
, Russia. The Khutsin Formation formation has been interpreted as dating anywhere from the early Eocene to the late Eocene/early Oligocene boundary. The genus Dinokanaga
is known exclusively from fossil sites in western North America which date to the Ypresian
and constitute the Okanagan highlands paleobiotic communities.
wing fossils, there is little data on the general morphology of the family. The wings of Dinopanorpidae species are generally long with numerous reticulated cross veins and, when preserved, specimens show the coloration to have been mostly dark with light to clear patterning. The Okanagan Highlands flora is considered a possible antecedent
of the modern eastern hardwood forests
of North America. Six of the seven species currently described in Dinopanorpidae belong to Dinokanaga while Dinopanorpa is monotypic with only D. megarche. There is a wide size range in the family with fore wing lengths ranging from 28 millimetres (1.1 in) to 43 millimetres (1.7 in).
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s in the order Mecoptera
Mecoptera
Mecoptera are an order of insects with about 550 species in nine families worldwide. Mecoptera are sometimes called scorpionflies after their largest family, Panorpidae, in which the males have enlarged genitals that look similar to the stinger of a scorpion...
(scorpionflies) that contains two genera
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...
and seven species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
.
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 "Panorpidae", the family to which Dinopanorpa
Dinopanorpa
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 type genus of this family) was first assigned. The family was first described in 1972 by paleoentomologist
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
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...
to encompass the genus Dinopanorpa
Dinopanorpa
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...
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. As with all members of order Mecoptera, dinopanorpids possess an elongated rostrum
Rostrum (anatomy)
The term rostrum is used for a number of unrelated structures in different groups of animals:*In crustaceans, the rostrum is the forward extension of the carapace in front of the eyes....
and four elongated wings of nearly equal size, and uniquely a "R1" vein which almost reaches the apex of the wing. The elongated "R1" vein is a character not found in any other extant or extinct mecopterans.
Range
The distribution of Dinopanorpidae is restricted both in time and in location. An undescribed species of Dinopanorpa has been reported from the PaleocenePaleocene
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 while the type and only specimen of Dinopanorpa megarche is from the Khutsin Formation of 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 Khutsin Formation formation has been interpreted as dating anywhere from the early Eocene to the late Eocene/early Oligocene boundary. The 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...
is known exclusively from fossil sites in western North America which date to the Ypresian
Ypresian
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between and , is preceded by the Thanetian age and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian age....
and constitute the Okanagan highlands paleobiotic communities.
Morphology
As most of the species are known from a limited number of compressionFossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
wing fossils, there is little data on the general morphology of the family. The wings of Dinopanorpidae species are generally long with numerous reticulated cross veins and, when preserved, specimens show the coloration to have been mostly dark with light to clear patterning. The Okanagan Highlands flora is considered a possible antecedent
Antecedent (genealogy)
In genealogy or in phylogenetic studies of evolutionary biology an antecedent, antecessor or antecedents are predecessors in a family line. I am the descendants of my grandparents, they are my antecedents. This term has particular utility in evolutionary coalescent theory, which models the process...
of the modern eastern hardwood forests
Northern hardwood forest
The northern hardwood forest is a general type of North American forest ecosystem found over much of southeastern and south central Canada, extending south into the United States in northern New England and New York, and west along the Great Lakes to Minnesota and western Ontario...
of North America. Six of the seven species currently described in Dinopanorpidae belong to Dinokanaga while Dinopanorpa is monotypic with only D. megarche. There is a wide size range in the family with fore wing lengths ranging from 28 millimetres (1.1 in) to 43 millimetres (1.7 in).