Mesochrysopidae Handlirsch, 1906

Yang, Qiang, Makarkin, Vladimir N. & Ren, Dong, 2012, New fossil Mesochrysopidae (Neuroptera) from the Mesozoic of China, Zootaxa 3597, pp. 1-14 : 4

Mesochrysopidae Handlirsch, 1906

Genus Protoaristenymphes Nel et Henrotay, 1994

Type species. Protoaristenymphes bascharagensis Nel et Henrotay, 1994 , by original designation.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized, forewing length 16–25 mm [20 mm in Aristenymphes Panfilov, 1980; 46 mm in Macronympha Panfilov, 1980]; in forewing, M forked somewhat distal to or at level of origin of RP [shared with Aristenymphes; strongly distal in Macronympha]; im long, 5–6 times as long as wide [shared with Macronympha; 4 times in Aristenymphes]; MP with four branches [shared with Macronympha; two in Aristenymphes]; AA3+4 deeply forked [unknown in Macronympha; shallowly forked in Aristenymphes].

Species included. Two species from the Jurassic of Eurasia: Protoaristenymphes bascharagensis Nel et Henrotay, 1994 from the Early Jurassic of Bascharage, Luxembourg, and P. daohugouensis sp. nov. from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, China.

Remarks. The venation of this genus is very similar to that of the genera Macronympha and Aristenymphes known from the Late Jurassic of Kazakhstan ( Panfilov, 1980). These three genera are oldest in the family (Early Toarcian to Oxfordian/Kimmeridgian) and clearly closely related. Their forewing venation strongly differs from those of other (younger) genera of Mesochrysopidae , mainly in the arrangement of their crossveins, the presence/ absence of Banksian folds (lines), the configuration of MP and CuA and by the veinlets of ScP+RA. The generic status of Macronympha, Aristenymphes and Protoaristenymphes needs further confirmation as the differences between them are minimal (see diagnosis of Protoaristenymphes). However, the discovery of a new species whose character states well agree with those of one genus shows that these minimal differences may be indeed generic.

Protoaristenymphes bascharagensis is represented by a forewing, lacking the apex. The estimated complete length of this wing is about 16.5 mm, not 18 mm as estimated by Nel & Henrotay (1994).