NOMINA CIRCUMSCRIBENTIA INSECTORUM

CONTENTS

REFERENCES

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z  

Typified names: A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z 

NOMEN: †Palaeoblattariae Scudder 1879: 26, 27, 40 [S.H. Scudder. Palaeozoic cockroaches: a complete revision of the species of both worlds, with an essay toward their classification. – Memoirs of the Boston Soc. of Natural History, 1879, v.3, pt.1, No.3: 23-133, 6 pl.]

ORIGINAL LISTED MEMBERSHIP (Scudder 1879): †Mylacris + †Lithomylacris + †Necymylacris + †Etoblattina + †Archimylacris + †Anthracoblattina + †Gerablattina + †Hermatoblattina + †Progonoblattina + †Oryctoblattina + †Petrablattina

JUNIOR CIRCUMSCRIPTIONAL SYNONYMS:
= Palaeoblattidae Brongniart 1893   

= Eoblattodea Laurentiaux 1959

TYPIFIED NAME IN BASIC FORMAT: Mylacris/fg

TYPIFIED NAMES IN USE: Mylacrididae, Mylacridoidea, Mylacridina, Mylacridida

MODERN STATUS:  the valid, the oldest name of an extinct plesiomorphon.
Systematic position of Palaeoblattariae:

Kluge 2010 BioNomina Dual-Nom :

The plesiomorphon Palaeoblattariae Scudder 1879 includes extinct taxa only whose long, functional ovipositor separate them from the Oothecophora (and Cryptovipositoria in general). Originally, Scudder (1879) included in the Palaeoblattariae the extinct forms placed in genera Mylacris Scudder 1868, Archimylacris Scudder 1868, and the newly described genera Lithomylacris, Necymylacris, Etoblattina, Anthracoblattina, Gerablattina, Hermatoblattina, Progonoblattina, Oryctoblattina, and Petrablattina. The Neoblattariae Scudder 1895 originally encompassed all Recent cockroaches plus the extinct Mesozoic genera Neorthroblattina Scudder 1885 and Scutinoblattina Scudder 1885, and originally excluded, besides the palaeoblattarian taxa listed above, the extinct forms arranged in genera Paromylacris Scudder 1885, Microblattina Scudder 1895, Spiloblattina Scudder 1884, Poroblattina Scudder 1885, and Leptoblattina Woodward 1887, all placed by Scudder (1895) with the Palaeoblattariae. All these extinct forms were originally described based on wing venation only; palaeoblattarian specimens with long ovipositors were discovered later, but for most species Scudder originally included in the Palaeoblattariae there is still no evidence of long ovipositor or lack thereof.

The name Palaeoblattida Brongniart 1893 was introduced as emendation of Palaeoblattariae Scudder 1879 and originally applied to a family consisting of the same set of taxa as Scudder’s Palaeoblattariae, to which Brongniart added a number of new species. He also provided drawings of the Anthracoblattina ensifer and Etoblattina sp. females with long ovipositors (Brongniart 1893: Pl.XLIII (32): Fig. 2–4).

The plesiomorphon Eoblattodea Laurentiaux 1959 was originally defined as having long ovipositor, and the taxon Neoblattodea Laurentiaux 1959 was originally defined as having shortened ovipositor able to make ootheca. Certain Paleozoic taxa, including Mylacris/fg (Mylacride) were originally placed not to Eoblattodea, but to Neoblattodea based on assumption that their ovipositor was short and modifies for producing ootheca. Possibly, this assumption is wrong, and all Paleozoic Pandictyoptera had long ovipositors unable to make ootheca; in this case inclusion of these taxa to Neoblattariae should be regarded as erroneously listed contrary to the diagnoses provided in the original publication; in this case Eoblattodea should be regarded as a junior circumscriptional synonym of Palaeoblattariae (with typified name Mylacris/fg) and Neoblattodea should be regarded as a junior circumscriptional synonym of Neoblattariae.

To avoid creating new names, I suggest to accept the original circumscriptions of Palaeoblattariae Scudder 1897, Palaeoblattida Brongniart 1893 and Eoblattodea Laurentiaux 1959 as fitting the plesiomorphon excluding Cryptovipositoria, and the original circumscription of Neoblattariae Scudder 1895 and Neoblattodea Laurentiaux 1959 as fitting a taxon within Cryptovipositoria-Oothecophora, until proven otherwise.

REFERENCES:

Brongniart C. 1893. Recherches pour servir à l’histoire des insectes fossiles des temps primaires précédées d’une étude sur la nervation des ailes des insectes. Saint-Etienne: 1–493.

Laurentiaux D. 1959. La reproduction chez les Insectes blattaires du Carbonifère: facteurs du panchronisme et classification naturelle de l'ordre. // Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, S7-I: 759–766.

Scudder S.H. 1879. Palaeozoic cockroaches: a complete revision of the species of both worlds, with an essay toward their classification. // Memoirs of the Boston Society of natural History, 3 (1), No.3: 23–133, 6 pl.

Scudder S.H. 1895. The fossil cockroaches of North America. // Proceedings and Transactions of the royal Society of Canada, 12 (4): 147–153.