Palaeothyridosmylus Wang et al., 2009a

Winterton, Shaun L., Martins, Caleb Califre, Makarkin, Vladimir, Ardila-Camacho, Adrian & Wang, Yongjie, 2019, Lance lacewings of the world (Neuroptera: Archeosmylidae, Osmylidae, Saucrosmylidae): review of living and fossil genera, Zootaxa 4581 (1), pp. 1-99 : 84

Palaeothyridosmylus Wang et al., 2009a

( Fig. 64 )

Type species. Palaeothyridosmylus septemaculatus Wang et al., 2009a: 67 (by original designation).

Comments. The forewing figures presented by Wang et al. (2009a) have the veins identified following Kukalov- Peck & Lawrence (2004) (i.e., MA labelled as MP, MP as CuA, CuA as CuP and so on). The hind wing described and figured by Wang et al. (2009a: figs 3–4) as ‘ Palaeothyridosmylus sp.’ is most likely the forewing as the M vein is forked near origin of the first branch of RP; osmylids typically have the hind wing medial fork closer to the origin of RP. Indeed, the wing is very similar in venation to the forewing described for P. septemaculatus . The specimen described by Wang et al. (2009a) is a hind wing overlaying (or underneath) a forewing, and the authors had some difficulty attributing the patterning of the wing to either. Considering the branching pattern of the wing figured (especially M), it seems that this specimen is a composite of wing venation from the forewing and hind wing. Moreover, the wing venation figured as ‘ Palaeothyridosmylus sp.’ has an elongate and highly pectinately branched CuP, which would actually preclude placement in Spilosmylinae if it was a hind wing. Wang et al. (2009a) tentatively assigned this genus to Spilosmylinae , however, the genus does lack some important venational features characteristic of Spilosmylinae , such as at least one RP gradate series crossveins or a spur-like process on the basal part of the hind wing MP directed proximally (an important synapomorphy of Spilosmylinae ). Based on this, as well as the branching pattern the M, Cu and A1 veins, it was prudent of the authors not to formally describe the specimen as it likely represents a composite of both fore and hind wings. At present the subfamilial placement of this genus is undetermined until more material is available.

Figures

FIGURE 64. Palaeothyridosmylus septemaculatus Wang et al. (from Wang et al., 2009a) (forewing).