The Nevrorthidae, (often incorrectly spelled "Neurorthidae"), are a small

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of winged insects of the order Neuroptera. Extant species may be described as

living fossil A living fossil is an extant taxon that cosmetically resembles related species known only from the fossil record. To be considered a living fossil, the fossil species must be old relative to the time of origin of the extant clade. Living foss ...

s. There are 19 extant species in four genera, with a geographically disjunct distribution, '' Nevrorthus,'' comprising 5 species with scattered distributions around the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

, '' Austroneurorthus'' with two species known from southeastern Australia, '' Nipponeurorthus'' comprising 11 species known from China and Japan, and '' Sinoneurorthus'' known from a single species described from Yunnan Province, China. They are traditionally placed in the

Osmyloidea Osmyloidea is a euneuropteran superfamily in the lacewing order Neuroptera sister to the superfamilies Dilaroidea, Mantispoidea, and the clade Neoneuroptera. The superfamily includes three living families and two extinct families described ...

, alongside Osmylidae and the spongillaflies (

Sisyridae Sisyridae, commonly known as spongeflies or spongillaflies, are a family of winged insects in the order Neuroptera. There are approximately 60 living species described, and several extinct species identified from the fossil record. Description ...

) as their closest relatives, while some research has considered them to be the sister group to the rest of Neuroptera. The larvae have unique straight jaws that are curved at the tips, and live as unspecialised predators in the sandy bottom sediments of clear, fast flowing mountain rivers and streams. They pupate underwater on the underside of stones. The adults are likely predators or feed on honeydew and other sugar-rich fluids. Apart from the mere four living genera, several genera are known from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

aged

Baltic amber The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than ...

. The oldest known member of the family is '' Cretarophalis'' from the earliest Late Cretaceous ( Cenomanian) aged

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...

of Myanmar.

Taxonomy

After * '' Nevrorthus'' Costa, 1863 ** ''Nevrorthus apatelios'' H. Aspöck, U. Aspöck & Hölzel, 1977 Balkans, Italy ** ''Nevrorthus fallax'' (Rambur, 1842) Sardinia and Corsica ** ''Nevrorthus hannibal'' U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 1983 Tunisia, Algeria ** ''Nevrorthus iridipennis'' Costa, 1863 Calabria, Sicily ** ''Nevrorthus reconditus'' Monserrat & Gavira, 2014 Malaga, Spain * Genus '' Austroneurorthus'' Nakahara, 1958 ** ''Austroneurorthus brunneipennis'' (Esben-Petersen, 1929) New South Wales, Queensland, Australia ** ''Austroneurorthus horstaspoecki'' U. Aspöck, 2004 Victoria, New South Wales, Australia * Genus '' Nipponeurorthus'' Nakahara, 1958 ** ''Nipponeurorthus damingshanicus'' Liu, H. Aspöck & U. Aspöck, 2014 Guangxi, China ** ''Nipponeurorthus fasciatus'' Nakahara, 1958 China (Taiwan) ** ''Nipponeurorthus flinti'' U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 2008 Japan (Okinawa, Amamioshima). ** ''Nipponeurorthus furcatus'' Liu, H. Aspöck & U. Aspöck, 2014 China (Yunnan) ** ''Nipponeurorthus fuscinervis'' (Nakahara, 1915) Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu) ** ''Nipponeurorthus multilineatus'' Nakahara, 1966 China (Taiwan). ** ''Nipponeurorthus pallidinervis'' Nakahara, 1958 Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Tsushima Island). ** ''Nipponeurorthus punctatus'' (Nakahara, 1915) Japan (Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu). ** ''Nipponeurorthus qinicus'' Yang in Chen, 1998 China (Shaanxi). ** ''Nipponeurorthus tianmushanus'' Yang & Gao, 2001 China (Zhejiang). ** ''Nipponeurorthus tinctipennis'' Nakahara, 1958 Japan (Yakushima Island). * Genus '' Sinoneurorthus'' Liu, H. Aspöck & U. Aspöck, 2012 ** ''Sinoneurorthus yunnanicus'' Liu, H. Aspöck & U. Aspöck, 2012, Yunnan, China

Extinct genera

* †'' Balticoneurorthus'' Wichard 2016

* †'' Cretarophalis'' Wichard 2017

, Myanmar, Late Cretaceous ( Cenomanian) * †'' Electroneurorthus'' Wichard et al. 2010 Baltic amber, Eocene * †'' Palaeoneurorthus'' Wichard 2009 Baltic amber, Eocene * †'' Rophalis'' Pictet 1854 Baltic amber,

Rovno amber Rivne amber, occasionally called Ukrainian amber, is amber found in the Rivne Oblast and surrounding regions of Ukraine and Belarus. The amber is dated between Late Eocene and Early Miocene, and suggested to be contemporaneous to Baltic amber. ...

, Eocene

Footnotes

References

* (2007): The neuropterid fauna of Dominican and Mexican amber (Neuropterida, Megaloptera, Neuroptera). ''American Museum Novitates'' 3587: 1-58
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Neuroptera Neuroptera families {{Neuroptera-stub