Raphidia funerata
Encyclopedia
Raphidia funerata is an extinct species of snakefly
in the Raphidiidae genus Raphidia. The name R. funerata is derived from the Latin funeratus meaning to "bury" or "intern". The species is known from a single female specimen, the holotype
, deposited in the Department of Palaeontology at the Natural History Museum
in London
as specimen number "In. 26922". Though they did not study the specimen, Horst Aspöck, Ulrike Aspöck and Hubert Rausch in the 1991 work Die Raphidiopteren der Erde noted and figured the specimen as an "unidentified raphidiid". Dr. Michael S. Engel
first studied and described the species after finding the specimen in the Department of Palaeontology collections. He published his type description in the journal Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science
(Volume 106) in 2003.
R. funerata was found in the Florissant Formation, which has produced seven other species of snakefly, six in Raphidia and one in the Inocelliida genus Fibla. Out of the described snakefly specimens from the Florissant Formation, the R. funerata holotype is the most complete. Preserved as a compression fossil
, the female individual is fossilized in a resting position giving a side view to the body and wings. Including the ovipositor
, R. funerata is 16.5 millimetre (0.649606299212598 in) and has a forewing length of 10 millimetre (0.393700787401575 in). Of the known snakefly species, R. funerata is closest in appearance to the extinct R. mortua, which is also known from the Florissant Formation. The two cogeneric species can be separated by several features of the forewing, including a lack of terminal forks in veins along the posterior margin of the wing in R. funerata, and the radial cell bordering the pterostigma narrowing at the base in R. mortua. The assignment of R. funerata to Raphidia is made with hesitation by Dr. Engel as the characteristics used to separate living genera, the reproductive structures, are not preserved in most fossils and very rarely in compression fossils. Thus it is possible the Florrisant Formation species are members of one of the two nearctic
genera Alena or Agulla.
Snakefly
Snakeflies are a group of insects in the order Raphidioptera, consisting of about 210 extant species. Together with the Megaloptera they were formerly placed within the Neuroptera, but now these two are generally regarded as separate orders....
in the Raphidiidae genus Raphidia. The name R. funerata is derived from the Latin funeratus meaning to "bury" or "intern". The species is known from a single female specimen, the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, deposited in the Department of Palaeontology at the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as specimen number "In. 26922". Though they did not study the specimen, Horst Aspöck, Ulrike Aspöck and Hubert Rausch in the 1991 work Die Raphidiopteren der Erde noted and figured the specimen as an "unidentified raphidiid". Dr. Michael S. Engel
Michael S. Engel
Michael S. Engel is an American paleontologist and entomologist. He has undertaken field work in Central Asia, Asia Minor, and the Western Hemisphere, and published more than 300 papers in scientific journals. He was trained at the University of Kansas where in 1993 he received a B.S. in Cellular...
first studied and described the species after finding the specimen in the Department of Palaeontology collections. He published his type description in the journal Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science
Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science
Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Kansas Academy of Science. The journal covers biological and physical sciences, mathematics and computer science, history, culture, and philosophy of science, and science education....
(Volume 106) in 2003.
R. funerata was found in the Florissant Formation, which has produced seven other species of snakefly, six in Raphidia and one in the Inocelliida genus Fibla. Out of the described snakefly specimens from the Florissant Formation, the R. funerata holotype is the most complete. Preserved as a compression fossil
Compression fossil
A compression fossil is a fossil preserved in sedimentary rock that has undergone physical compression. While it is uncommon to find animals preserved as good compression fossils, it is very common to find plants preserved this way...
, the female individual is fossilized in a resting position giving a side view to the body and wings. Including the ovipositor
Ovipositor
The ovipositor is an organ used by some animals for oviposition, i.e., the laying of eggs. It consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages formed to transmit the egg, to prepare a place for it, and to place it properly...
, R. funerata is 16.5 millimetre (0.649606299212598 in) and has a forewing length of 10 millimetre (0.393700787401575 in). Of the known snakefly species, R. funerata is closest in appearance to the extinct R. mortua, which is also known from the Florissant Formation. The two cogeneric species can be separated by several features of the forewing, including a lack of terminal forks in veins along the posterior margin of the wing in R. funerata, and the radial cell bordering the pterostigma narrowing at the base in R. mortua. The assignment of R. funerata to Raphidia is made with hesitation by Dr. Engel as the characteristics used to separate living genera, the reproductive structures, are not preserved in most fossils and very rarely in compression fossils. Thus it is possible the Florrisant Formation species are members of one of the two nearctic
Nearctic
The Nearctic is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones dividing the Earth's land surface.The Nearctic ecozone covers most of North America, including Greenland and the highlands of Mexico...
genera Alena or Agulla.