''Priscaenigma'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

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 ...

snakefly Snakeflies are a group of Predation, predatory insects comprising the order (biology), order Raphidioptera with two extant families: Raphidiidae and Inocelliidae, consisting of roughly 260 species. In the past, the group had a much wider distrib ...

of the Priscaenigmatidae family which was described by Whalley in 1985.P. E. S. Whalley. 1985. The systematics and palaeogeography of the Lower Jurassic insects of Dorset, England. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History (Geology) 39(3):107-189. Retrieved 12 August 2012. The fossils were found on flatstones at

Black Ven Black Ven is a cliff in Dorset, England between the towns of Charmouth and Lyme Regis. The cliffs reach a height of . It is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Nearby is an undercliff with an ammonite pavement. The area is popular wit ...

Charmouth Charmouth is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England. The village is situated on the mouth of the River Char, around north-east of Lyme Regis. Dorset County Council estimated that in 2013 the population of the civil parish was 1,310 ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

at in a marine environment of the

Charmouth Mudstone Formation The Charmouth Mudstone Formation is a geological formation in England. It preserves fossils dating back to the early part of the Jurassic period (Sinemurian–Pliensbachian). It forms part of the lower Lias Group. It is most prominently exposed at ...

. The fossils were collected by J. F. Jackson between 1961 and 1963.F. E. Zeuner. 1962. Fossil insects from the Lower Lias of Charmouth, Dorset. Bulletin British Museum (Natural History) Geology 7:155-171. Retrieved 12 August 2012. Its sister taxa is ''

Hondelagia ''Hondelagia'' is an extinct genus of snakefly in the Priscaenigmatidae family. The genus has been described three times under the same taxonomy, but was initially described by A. Bode in 1953. It currently contains one species, the ''Hondelagi ...

''. The genus contains one species, the extinct ''Priscaenigma obtusa'', also described by Whalley in 1985. Its forewing is in length. Only a forewing was found when the species was discovered.

References

Prehistoric insects of Europe Jurassic insects Fossil taxa described in 1985 Raphidioptera {{Jurassic-insect-stub