Proedischiidae Pinto & Ornellas, 1978

Martins-Neto, R. G., Gallego, O. F., Brauckmann, C. & Cruz, J. L., 2007, A review of the South American Palaeozoic entomofauna Part I: the Ischnoneuroidea and Cacurgoidea, with description of new taxa, African Invertebrates 48 (1), pp. 87-101 : 90-91

Family Proedischiidae Pinto & Ornellas, 1978

Proedischiidae : Pinto & Ornellas 1978: 309 (type genus Proedischia Pinto & Ornellas, 1978 ).

Narkemocacurgidae : Pinto & Ornellas 1978: 310 (not based on valid genus name); 1981: 108.

Narkeminidae : Pinto & Ornellas 1991: 93 (type genus Narkemina Martynov, 1930 ); Storozhenko 1996: 18; 1997 b: 4; 1998: 69. Syn. n.

Narkemidae : Handlirsch 1911: 322 (part.); Martynov 1930: 1229 (part.); Storozhenko 1997 a: 63 (part.).

Ischnoneuridae : Rasnitsyn 2002: 258 (part.).

Diagnosis: Fore wing with the presence of r–m in the distal part of MA. MP+CuA sigmoid, convergent to MA.

Constituent genera: Narkemina Martynov, 1930 (Upper Carboniferous, Kuznetzk Basin, Russia), Narkeminopsis Whalley, 1979 (Upper Carboniferous of Great Britain), Irajanarkemina gen. n. (Upper Carboniferous, Paraná Basin, Brazil), Paranarkemina Pinto & Ornellas, 1980 (Upper Carboniferous, Argentina and Brazil), Velizphlebia gen. n. (Upper Carboniferous, Argentina), Argentinonarkemina gen. n. (Upper Carbo-niferous, Argentina), Proedischia Pinto & Ornellas, 1978 (Upper Carboniferous, Brazil), and Paganzophlebia gen. n. (Upper Carboniferous, Argentina).According to Rasnitsyn (pers. comm.), judging from Béthoux and Nel (2005), Bouleites Lameere, 1917 could also belong to Narkeminidae (however not examined).

Remarks: Pinto and Ornellas (1978) proposed the family name Narkemocacurgidae for Narkemina Martynov, 1930 and related genera to highlight the transitional characters. But since this was not in accordance with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN 1985), the same authors (Pinto & Ornellas 1991) replaced this name with Narkeminidae . This was overlooked by Storozhenko (1996), when he also changed the family name into Narkeminidae . As noted below, however, the correct family name for the taxon as defined in this paper is Proedischiidae Pinto & Ornellas, 1978 .

The Proedischiidae share a very striking common character in the fore wing: MP+CuA convergent to MA (in some included taxa within the family, this vein is strongly convergent). This feature is not present within the Ischnoneura –Spaniodera– Cacurgus – Eoblatta complex, and therefore we do not regard the Proedischiidae and Ischnoneuridae as synonymous as Rasnitsyn (2002) did. Rasnitsyn (pers. comm.), after examining the type genus, considers Aetophlebiidae Handlirsch, 1906 as fitting the diagnosis of Proedischiidae perfectly (cf. original description of Aetophlebia singularis by Scudder, 1885, fig. 9). If so, it could be concluded that Proedischiidae is a junior synonym of Aetophlebiidae , the older name. However, the type genus as figured by Handlirsch

(1906–08, pl. XVI, fig. 14) neither has ScP distally fused nor the typical short CuA distally fused with MP+CuA, as proposed here for the Proedischiidae , so excluding it from the Proedischiidae .

Genus Irajanarkemina Martins-Neto, Gallego & Brauckmann , gen. n.

Etymology: In honour of Prof. Dr Irajá Damiani Pinto (UFRGS, Brazil), the first and outstanding scientific investigator of the South American Palaeozoic entomofauna, and Narkemina , the closely related genus. Gender feminine.

Type species: Narkemina rodendorfi Pinto & Ornellas, 1978 , designated here.

Diagnosis: Fore wing relatively wide. ScP distally fused with RA. Origin of RP close to apex of wing, far from origin of MP. MP+CuA strongly convergent to MA with the secondary branches notably curved toward the anal margin. Supporting cross veins r– m and ma–mp present. Origin of CuP not directly from the distal part of CuA.

Discussion: Irajanarkemina gen. n. differs from Narkemina , the closest genus, by having a wider fore wing (relatively narrow in the hitherto known species of Narkemina ), MP+CuA less strongly convergent to MA, the secondary branches of which are notably curved toward the anal margin ( Fig. 2 ) (straight and oblique to the anal margin in Narkemina ).

Species included: Type species only.

Figures

Fig. 2. Irajanarkemina rodendorfi, main venational pattern, schematic drawing. CuA, CuP, anterior and posterior cubitus; MA, MP, anterior and posterior media; RA, RP, anterior and posterior radius; ScA, ScP, anterior and posterior subcosta; r–m, supporting cross vein radius–media; ma–mp, supporting cross vein anterior–posterior media.