Miomoptera

Miomoptera Temporal range: 318–176 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N Middle Carboniferous - Middle Jurassic
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Superorder:	Endopterygota
Order:	Miomoptera Martynov, 1928
Families
Metropatoridae Archaemiopteridae Palaeomanteidae
Synonyms
Palaeomanteida

Miomoptera is an extinct order of insects. Although it is thought to be a common ancestor of all holometabolous insects, because no smooth transition between Miomoptera and other holometabolous insect orders is known it is considered to be in a separate order unto itself.

The Miomopterans were small insects, with unspecialised chewing mandibles and short abdominal cerci. They had four wings of equal size, with a relatively simple venation, similar to that of the more primitive living holometabolous insects, such as lacewings.

Adult morphology suggests the adults lived in open habitats. The morphology and gut content shows they fed on the pollen and strobili of gymnosperms. Based on the morphology of the ovipositor, larvae also fed on the pollen of strobili, moving between the scales from one microsporangium to another.

Families and genera

• Metropatoridae
  • Metropator
• Archaemiopteridae
  • Archaemioptera
  • Eodelopterum
  • Saaromioptera
  • Tychtodelopterum
• Palaeomanteidae
  • Palaeomantis
  • Delopterum
  • Miomatoneura
  • Miomatoneurella
  • Permodelopterum
  • Perunopterum
• Permosialidae Martynov, 1928
  • Epimastax Martynov, 1928
  • Permonka Riek, 1973
  • Sarbalopterodes Storozhenko, 1991
  • Permosialis Martynov, 1928

Reference:

References

• Rasnitsyn, A.P. & Dijk, D.E., van. 2011. The first Gondwanan Epimastax from the Lopingian of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Insecta: Palaeomanteida = Miomoptera: Permosialidae). African Invertebrates 52 (1): 207-209.[1]