A new cnemidolestodean stem-orthopteran insect from the Late Carboniferous of China

Jun-Jie Gu (1) , Olivier Bethoux (2) , Dong Ren (3)

1 NIGPAS-CAS - Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology
2 CR2P - Centre de recherche sur la Paléobiodiversité et les Paléoenvironnements
3 Capital Normal University [Beijing]

A new Late Carboniferous cnemidolestodean insect Xixia huban gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Xiaheyan locality (Zhongwei City, Ningxia, China; Tupo Formation). Its combination of character states and observed variants on the wing venations are indicative of homologies shared with more derived members of the order. In particular it is ascertained that MP runs fused with CuA and CuA + CuPa, but is not usually visible as a distinct vein. The new genus exhibits previously unknown coloration pattern composed of dark patches distributed over the whole forewing (as opposed to regular stripes or rows of spots, previously documented in the group). The comparatively abundant sample makes it one of the best documented cnemidolestodeans to date.

Mots clés: Insecta; Archaeorthoptera; Cnemidolestodea; Aetophlebia singularis; Pennsylvanian; Xiaheyan locality

Domaines: Paléontologie

Jun-Jie Gu, Olivier Bethoux, Dong Ren. A new cnemidolestodean stem-orthopteran insect from the Late Carboniferous of China. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 2014, 59 (3), pp.689-696. ⟨10.4202/app.2011.0204⟩. ⟨hal-01307040⟩