Oligotypus is an extinct genus of griffinfly in the family Paralogidae.[1] This genus is known from 4 species from the Carboniferous to Permian.

Oligotypus
Temporal range: Namurian-Early Permian
Specimens of Oligotypus (=Sinomeganeura) huangheensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Meganisoptera
Family: Paralogidae
Genus: Oligotypus
Carpenter, 1931
Other species

O. tillyardi Carpenter, 1931 (type)
O. makowskii Carpenter & Richardson, 1971
O. huangheensis Ren, Nel & Prokop, 2008
O. tuscaloosae Beckemeyer & Engel, 2011

Synonyms

Sinomeganeura Ren, Nel & Prokop, 2008

Species

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Type species of the genus, Oligotypus tillyardi was described from lower Permian site in Kansas and Midco insect bed in Oklahoma.[2][3] It was small griffinfly with wing length of 4 centimetres (1.6 in) as preserved.[3]

Second species, O. makowskii was described from middle Pennsylvanian Francis Creek Shale in Illinois. It had wing which is 6.5 centimetres (2.6 in) long as preserved and estimated to have complete length of 9 centimetres (3.5 in).[4]

Third species, O. huangheensis was described from Pennsylvanian, Namurian stage, Yanghugou Formation (previously called as Tupo Formation) near the village of Xiaheyan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. It was originally described under its own genus Sinomeganeura, but it was synonymized to Oligotypus in 2013. The preserved segment is 48.6 millimetres (1.91 in) giving an estimated full length for the wing of approximately 70 millimetres (2.8 in).[5][1]

Fourth species, O. tuscaloosae was described from Early Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation of Alabama. It is the largest species of Oligotypus with preserved wing length of 7.7 centimetres (3.0 in) and estimated complete wing length of 13–16 centimetres (5.1–6.3 in).[6]

Description

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According to O. huangheensis, it shows no indications of any color pattering that may have been present in life. In adult of the species would have had a full wingspan of around 150 millimetres (5.9 in).[5] The overall size is considered small compared to other members of the subfamily such as Meganeura and Meganeuropsis, both with wings exceeding 250 millimetres (9.8 in) in length, and wingspans over 700 millimetres (28 in).[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b Li, Yongjun; Béthoux, Olivier; Pang, Hong; Ren, Dong (2013). "Early Pennsylvanian Odonatoptera from the Xiaheyan locality (Ningxia, China): new material, taxa, and perspectives". Fossil Record. 16 (1): 117–139. Bibcode:2013FossR..16..117L. doi:10.1002/mmng.201300006.
  2. ^ Carpenter, Frank M. (1933). "The Lower Permian Insects of Kansas. Part 6. Delopteridae, Protelytroptera, Plectoptera and a New Collection of Protodonata, Odonata, Megasecoptera, Homoptera, and Psocoptera". Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 68 (11): 411–504. doi:10.2307/20022959. ISSN 0199-9818. JSTOR 20022959.
  3. ^ a b Carpenter, Frank M. (1947). "Lower Permian Insects from Oklahoma. Part 1. Introduction and the Orders Megasecoptera, Protodonata, and Odonata". Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 76 (2): 25–54. doi:10.2307/20023497. ISSN 0199-9818. JSTOR 20023497.
  4. ^ Carpenter, F. M.; Richardson, Jr (1971). "Additional Insects in Pennsylvanian Concretions From Illinois". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 78 (4): 267–295. doi:10.1155/1971/80989. ISSN 0033-2615.
  5. ^ a b Ren, D.; Nel, A.; Prokop, J. (2008). "New early griffenfly, Sinomeganeura huangheensis from the Late Carboniferous of northern China (Meganisoptera: Meganeuridae)" (PDF). Insect Systematics & Evolution. 38 (2): 223–229. doi:10.1163/187631208788784075. ISSN 1399-560X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-24.
  6. ^ Beckemeyer, Roy J.; Engel, Michael S. (2011-10-21). "Upper Carboniferous Insects from the Pottsville Formation of Northern Alabama (Insecta: Ephemeropterida, Palaeodictyopterida, Odonatoptera)". Natural History Museum the University of Kansas. ISSN 1094-0782.
  7. ^ Prokop, J.; Nel, A. (2010). "New griffenfly, Bohemiatupus elegans from the Late Carboniferous of western Bohemia in the Czech Republic (Odonatoptera: Meganisoptera: Meganeuridae)" (PDF). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 46 (1–2): 183–188. doi:10.1080/00379271.2010.10697655.