Englathauma is an extinct genus of scorpionfly. It is the only member of the family Englathaumatidae. It is known from two species, E. crabbi, and E. mellisha. Both species are known from the Weald Clay of the United Kingdom, dating to the Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous. The family had been a nomen nudum since the death of the lead author of the paper Victor G. Novokshonov, in 2003, until the paper was published in 2016. The well sclerotized wings suggest that they were used as cover to protect the body rather than for flight, similar to the living Notiothauma.[1]

Englathauma
Temporal range: Barremian
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Mecoptera
Family: Englathaumatidae
Novokshonov et al, 2016
Genus: Englathauma
Novokshonov et al, 2016
Species
  • Englathauma crabbi Novokshonov et al, 2016
  • Englathauma mellishae Novokshonov et al, 2016

References edit

  1. ^ Novokshonov, Victor G.; Ross, Andrew J.; Cook, Elizabeth; Krzemiński, Wiesław; Soszyńska-Maj, Agnieszka (July 2016). "A new family of scorpionflies (Insecta; Mecoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of England". Cretaceous Research. 62: 44–51. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2016.01.013.