The Protorthoptera are an extinct order of

Palaeozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and '' ...

insects, and represent a

wastebasket taxon Wastebasket taxon (also called a wastebin taxon, dustbin taxon or catch-all taxon) is a term used by some taxonomists to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined ...

and

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

assemblage of basal

neoptera Neoptera (Ancient Greek ''néos'' (“new”) + ''pterón'' (“wing”)) is a classification group that includes most orders of the winged insects, specifically those that can flex their wings over their abdomens. This is in contrast with the mo ...

. They appear during the Middle

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...

(late

Serpukhovian The Serpukhovian is in the ICS geologic timescale the uppermost stage or youngest age of the Mississippian, the lower subsystem of the Carboniferous. The Serpukhovian age lasted from Ma to Ma. It is preceded by the Visean and is followed b ...

or early

Bashkirian The Bashkirian is in the ICS geologic timescale the lowest stage or oldest age of the Pennsylvanian. The Bashkirian age lasted from to Ma, is preceded by the Serpukhovian and is followed by the Moscovian. The Bashkirian overlaps with the ...

), making them among the earliest known winged insects in the fossil record. Pronotal lobes may be expanded to form a shield. The group includes the ancestors of all other polyneopterous insects.

Families and genera

Protorthopteraorder †Protorthoptera
Species File (Version 5.0/5.0; retrieved 20 October 2021) * † Adeloneuridae ** †'' Adeloneura'' * † Anthracoptilidae ** †'' Anthracoptilus'' * † Anthracothremmidae ** †'' Anthracothremma'' ** †'' Melinophlebia'' ** †'' Pericalyphe'' ** †''

Silphion Silphium (also known as ''silphion'', ''laserwort'', or ''laser'') is an unidentified plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, and medicine. It also was used as a contraceptive by ancient Greeks and Romans ...

'' * † Apithanidae ** †'' Apithanus'' * † Asyncritidae ** †'' Asyncritus'' * † Blattinopsidae (synonym Oryctoblattinidae ) ** †'' Blattinopsis'' ** †'' Glaphyrokoris'' ** †'' Glaphyrophlebia'' ** †'' Protoblattiniella'' * † Cheliphlebidae ** †'' Cheliphlebia'' * † Cymbopsidae ** †'' Cymbopsis'' * † Epimastacidae * † Eucaenidae (synonym Teneopteridae) ** †'' Eucaenus'' * † Hadentomidae (synonym Hadentomoidea ) ** †'' Fabreciella'' ** †'' Fayoliella'' ** †'' Hadentomum'' ** †'' Palaeocixius'' * † Hapalopteridae (synonym Aenigmatodidae & Hapalopteroidea ) ** †'' Aenigmatodes'' ** †'' Hapaloptera'' * † Heteroptilidae ** †'' Heteroptilon'' * † Homalophlebiidae ** †'' Homalophlebia'' ** †'' Parahomalophlebia'' * † Homoeodictyidae ** †'' Homoeodictyon'' * † Pachytylopsidae ** †'' Pachytylopsis'' ** †'' Protopachytylopsis'' ** †'' Symballophlebia'' * † Stenoneuridae ** †'' Eoblattina'' ** †'' Stenoneura'' * † Stereopteridae ** †'' Stereopterum'' * † Strephocladidae ** †'' Homocladus'' ** †'' Paracladus'' ** †'' Strephocladus'' * †

Stygnidae The Stygnidae are a family of neotropical harvestmen within the suborder Laniatores. Name The name of the type genus is derived from Ancient Greek ''stygnos'' "diabolic being". (2007): Stygnidae Simon, 1879. In: Pinto-da-Rocha ''et al.'' 2007: 2 ...

** †''

Stygne Stygne (Ancient Greek: Στύγνη means "hated, abhorred"), in Greek mythology, was one of the Danaïdes, daughter of Danaus and Polyxo. She married (and murdered) Polyctor, son of Aegyptus and Caliadne.Apollodorus2.1.5/ref> Note Danaids Prin ...

'' * † Thoronysididae ** †'' Thoronysis'' * †''

Incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'' ** †'' Acridites'' ** †'' Adiphlebia'' ** †'' Agogoblattina'' ** †'' Anthrakoris'' ** †'' Archaeologus'' ** †'' Archimastax'' ** †'' Atava'' ** †'' Axiologus'' ** †'' Chrestotes'' ** †'' Commentrya'' ** †'' Didymophleps'' ** †'' Endoiasmus'' ** †'' Geraroides'' ** †'' Gyrophlebia'' ** †'' Hemerista'' ** †'' Lecopterum'' ** †'' Megalometer'' ** †'' Metacheliphlebia'' ** †'' Miamia'' ** †'' Polyetes'' ** †'' Pruvostia'' ** †'' Pseudogerarus'' ** †'' Pseudopolyernus'' ** †'' Ptenodera'' ** †'' Schuchertiella''

References

* Carpenter, F. M. 1992. Superclass Hexapoda. Volume 3 of Part R, Arthropoda 4; ''

Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology The ''Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology'' (or ''TIP'') published by the Geological Society of America and the University of Kansas Press, is a definitive multi-authored work of some 50 volumes, written by more than 300 paleontologists, and co ...

'', Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America. * Carboniferous insects Extinct insect orders Taxa named by Anton Handlirsch Paraphyletic groups Polyneoptera {{Carboniferous-animal-stub