Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Eomeropidae

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Scientific name
  
Notiothauma reedi

Rank
  
Family

Class
  
Insecta

Phylum
  
Arthropoda

Order
  
Mecoptera

Eomeropidae httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Similar
  
Mecoptera, Meropeidae, Apteropanorpidae, Nannochoristidae, Panorpodidae

Eomeropidae is a family of aberrant, flattened scorpionflies represented today by only a single living species, Notiothauma reedi, known from the Nothofagus forests in southern Chile, while all other recognized genera in the family are known only as fossils, with the earliest from Triassic-aged strata, and the youngest from Paleogene-aged strata.

Genera

  • †Eomerope. This genus is known from Paleogene fossils from Eocene and Oligocene strata of North America, and Paleocene to Oligocene strata of Russia. Because N. reedi is not known in the fossil record, Eomerope is the youngest of the fossil genera, and has the widest range.
  • †Jurachorista. Known from the early Jurassic, Sinemurian, of Dorset England.
  • †Jurathauma. J. simplex is one of three species of eomeropid scorpionflies from the Middle Jurassic of China. Its wing veins are distinct from all other eomeropids.
  • Notiothauma. N. reedi is a remarkable species, flattened and extremely cockroach-like in appearance and habits. It is nocturnal, and scuttles on the forest floor, where it can be collected by laying trails of oatmeal. The larvae are still unknown. Because this is the last extant species of Eomeropidae, N. reedi can be characterized as a living fossil taxon.
  • †Thaumatomerope. This genus is known from the Triassic-aged Madygen Lagerstätte, of Ladinian to Carnian Kyrgyzstan. Thaumatomerope's placement is subjective, as it has also been placed within Meropeidae, and in its own monotypic family, "Thaumatomeropidae."
  • †Tsuchingothauma. T. shihi is one of three species of eomeropid scorpionflies from the Middle Jurassic of China. Its fossils are found in two formations, one with Typhothauma, and another with Jurathauma
  • †Typhothauma. T. yixianensis is one of three species of eomeropid scorpionflies from the Middle Jurassic of China.

    • References

    Eomeropidae Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA