Pseudopolycentropodidae

Pseudopolycentropodidae is an extinct family of scorpionflies known from the Mesozoic. Fossils are known from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) to the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian). It is part of Mesopsychoidea, a group of scorpionflies with siphonate proboscis. They are suggested to have been nectarivores, feeding off the liquid pollination drops and acting as pollinators for now extinct insect pollinated gymnosperms such as Bennettitales.[1][2]

Pseudopolycentropodidae Temporal range: Anisian–Cenomanian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Paratype of Dualula
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Mecoptera
Superfamily:	†Mesopsychoidea
Family:	†Pseudopolycentropodidae Handlirsch, 1920
Genera
Dualula Parapolycentropus Pseudopolycentropodes Pseudopolycentropus Sinopolycentropus
Synonyms
Dualulidae Lin, Shih, Labandeira and Ren, 2019

Systematics

• †Dualula Lin et al. 2019
  • †Dualula kachinensis Lin et al. 2019 Burmese amber, Cenomanian
• †Parapolycentropus Grimaldi and Rasnitsyn 2005 Burmese amber, Cenomanian
  • †Parapolycentropus burmiticus Grimaldi and Rasnitsyn 2005
  • †Parapolycentropus paraburmiticus Grimaldi and Rasnitsyn 2005
• †Pseudopolycentropodes Grimaldi and Fraser 2005
  • †Pseudopolycentropodes virginicus Grimaldi and Fraser 2005 Cow Branch Formation, Virginia, Norian
• †Pseudopolycentropus Handlirsch 1906 Triassic-Late Jurassic
  • Pseudopolycentropus daohugouensis Zhang 2005 Daohugou, China, Callovian
  • Pseudopolycentropus janeannae Ren et al. 2009 Daohugou, China, Callovian
  • Pseudopolycentropus latipennis Martynov 1927 Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Oxfordian
  • Pseudopolycentropus madygenicus Novokshonov 1997 Madygen Formation, Kyrgyzstan, Carnian
  • Pseudopolycentropus novokshonovi Ren et al. 2009 Daohugou, China, Callovian
  • Pseudopolycentropus obtusus Bode 1953 Posidonia Shale, Germany, Toarcian
  • Pseudopolycentropus perlaeformis Geinitz 1884 Green Series, Germany, Toarcian
  • Pseudopolycentropus triangularis Handlirsch 1920 Charmouth Mudstone Formation, UK, Sinemurian, "Green Series", Germany, Toarcian
  • Pseudopolycentropus triasicus Papier et al. 1996 Grès à Voltzia, France, Röt Formation, Germany, Anisian
• †Sinopolycentropus Shih et al. 2011
  • †Sinopolycentropus rasnitsyni Shih et al. 2011 Daohugou, China, Callovian

References

1. Zhao X, Wang B, Bashkuev AS, Aria C, Zhang Q, Zhang H, et al. (March 2020). "Mouthpart homologies and life habits of Mesozoic long-proboscid scorpionflies". Science Advances. 6 (10): eaay1259. Bibcode:2020SciA....6.1259Z. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aay1259. PMC 7056314. PMID 32181343.
2. Lin X, Labandeira CC, Shih C, Hotton CL, Ren D (March 2019). "Life habits and evolutionary biology of new two-winged long-proboscid scorpionflies from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber". Nature Communications. 10 (1): 1235. Bibcode:2019NatCo..10.1235L. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-09236-4. PMC 6420582. PMID 30874563.