Insecta - Paoliida - Anthracoptilidae

Mesoptilus was named with two species (M. dolloi and M. sellardsi) by Lameere, without explicitly designating one as the type (whether "n. gen. n. sp." counts as type designation is ambiguous). In 1919, Handlirsch named Stenoneurella fayoliana and Pseudooedischia berthaudi for the same specimens. Later, Handlirsch (1937) implicitly treated M. sellardsi as the type because he stated that P. berthaudi was a synonym of M. sellardsi but recombined M. dolloi as Stenoneurella dolloi. This is not valid secondary designation, because it is not explicit (and fixation by elimination is not allowed). Carpenter (1992) treated M. dolloi as the type of Mesoptilus (he claimed by original designation, which I don't think is correct). Therefore, Mesoptilus sellardsi must be the senior name and must belong to Pseudooedischia.

Alternative combinations: Mesoptilus sellardsi, Pseudomesoptilus sellardsi

Synonym: Pseudooedischia berthaudi Handlirsch 1919 [objective synonym]

Full reference: A. Lameere. 1917. Revision sommaire des insectes fossiles du Stéphanien de Commentry. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 23:141-200

Belongs to Pseudooedischia according to M. E. Clapham 2023

See also Guan et al. 2016, Handlirsch 1919, Handlirsch 1922, Handlirsch 1937 and Lameere 1917

Sister taxa: none

Type specimens:

• Pseudooedischia sellardsi: MNHN-F-R51350, an exoskeleton. Its type locality is Commentry (MNHN later coll), which is in a Gzhelian lacustrine deltaic shale in the Commentry Shales Formation of France.
• Pseudooedischia berthaudi: MNHN-F-R51350, an exoskeleton. Its type locality is Commentry (MNHN later coll), which is in a Gzhelian lacustrine deltaic shale in the Commentry Shales Formation of France.

Distribution: found only at Commentry (MNHN later coll)

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Specimen images are retrieved through the ePANDDA API.