''Jurassipanorpa'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of fossil

scorpionfly Mecoptera (from the Greek: ''mecos'' = "long", ''ptera'' = "wings") is an order of insects in the superorder Endopterygota with about six hundred species in nine families worldwide. Mecopterans are sometimes called scorpionflies after their lar ...

(order Mecoptera) containing two species described in 2014 from the

Jiulongshan Formation The Haifanggou Formation (), also known as the Jiulongshan Formation (), is a fossil-bearing rock deposit located near Daohugou () village of Ningcheng County, in Inner Mongolia, northeastern China. The formation consists of coarse conglomerates ...

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...

, China. The two species, ''J. impuctata'' and ''J. sticta'', lived in the late Middle Jurassic period. Upon description, they were claimed to represent the oldest known representatives of the scorpionfly family

Panorpidae The Panorpidae are a family of scorpionflies containing more than 480 species. The family is the largest family in Mecoptera, covering approximately 70% species of the order. Species range between 9–25 mm long. These insects have four mem ...

, but this was later questioned.

Description

''Jurassipanorpa'' specimens measure up to 11 millimeters in body length, with wings reaching a maximum length of 14 mm. Both species have unique

setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...

("hairs") on the anal veins of the hindwings that are larger and more prominent than the fine setae found in all other panorpid scorpionflies. ''J. sticta'' differs from ''J. impuctata'' by the presence of spots and blotches on the wings: ''sticta'' derives from the Greek ''stiktos ''meaning spotted, while ''impunctata'' means "without spots" in Latin.

Discovery

''Jurassipanorpa'' was described from four specimens discovered in the

at Daohugou Village in

Ningcheng County Ningcheng County ( Mongolian: Нинчэн шянь ''Niŋčėŋ siyan''; ) is a county of southeastern Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China, bordering Liaoning province to the east. It is under the administration of Chifeng City.

, by researchers from the

Capital Normal University Capital Normal University (首都师范大学, pinyin: ''Shǒudū Shīfàn Dàxué'', or 首师大 for short) is a university in Beijing, China. It is a Chinese state Double First Class University Plan university, identified by the Ministry o ...

and the Russian Academy of Sciences in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. Other scorpionfles from the Jiulongshan Formation include ''

Miriholcorpa ''Miriholcorpa'' is an extinct genus of scorpionfly (Mecoptera) from the Middle Jurassic period of China. The type and only species is ''M. forcipata'', described in 2013. Discovery ''Miriholcorpa'' was discovered in the Jiulongshan Formation ...

'' and ''

Fortiholcorpa ''Fortiholcorpa paradoxa'' is an extinct species of scorpionfly (Mecoptera) from the Middle Jurassic of China. It is the only known species of its genus. Discovery ''Fortiholcorpa'' was discovered in the Jiulongshan Formation at Daohugou Villag ...

'', which have yet to be formally placed in a taxonomic family.

References

Mecoptera Middle Jurassic insects Fossils of China Fossil taxa described in 2014 {{jurassic-insect-stub