Nevrorthidae
Encyclopedia
The Nevrorthidae - often incorrectly spelled "Neurorthidae" - are a small family
of winged insects
of the order
Neuroptera
. They are a living fossil
.
They were at one time placed in the Osmyloidea, with the Osmylidae
and the spongillaflies (Sisyridae
) as their closest relatives, but nowadays they are considered to be the most ancient lineage of living lacewings. Sometimes they are placed in a suborder Nevorthiformia, but the quite basal position of the family is probably better expressed by placing them directly in the Neuroptera, without assigning the subordinal rank.
Apart from the mere three living genera, the fossil
Rophalis from the Eocene
has been described.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of winged insects
Pterygota
Pterygota is a subclass of insects that includes the winged insects. It also includes insect orders that are secondarily wingless ....
of the order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Neuroptera
Neuroptera
The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order contains some 6,010 species...
. They are a living fossil
Living fossil
Living fossil is an informal term for any living species which appears similar to a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives, or a group of organisms which have long fossil records...
.
They were at one time placed in the Osmyloidea, with the Osmylidae
Osmylidae
Osmylidae are a small family of winged insects of the net-winged insect order Neuroptera. The osmylids are found all over the world except in North America. A common species through most of Europe is Osmylus fulvicephalus.-Description and ecology:...
and the spongillaflies (Sisyridae
Sisyridae
The Sisyridae, commonly known as spongeflies or spongillaflies, is a family of winged insects of the order Neuroptera. Approximately 60 living species are known.-Description:...
) as their closest relatives, but nowadays they are considered to be the most ancient lineage of living lacewings. Sometimes they are placed in a suborder Nevorthiformia, but the quite basal position of the family is probably better expressed by placing them directly in the Neuroptera, without assigning the subordinal rank.
Apart from the mere three living genera, the fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
Rophalis from the Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
has been described.