This page documents the fossil Neuropterida (Neuroptera, Raphidioptera, Megaloptera) of the Lower Cretaceous Wealden Supergroup, southern England. It gives a brief description of the geology and lists the neuropterid taxa that have been described. The age and locality of each species is also recorded. This page will be updated when new taxa is described.
Geology
Above is a simplified geological map of the Wealden Supergroup, southern England modified from Jepson et al., 2009. Below is a stratigraphic column of the Wealden Supergroup with the main quarries listed.
The Wealden Supergroup of southern England is Lower Cretaceous in age (approximately 140-125 Ma). It is divided into two sub-basins, the Weald and Wessex. The Wessex Sub-basin has relatively few fossil insects preserved. In contrast, the Weald Sub-basin has yielded hundreds of fossil insects. It is in the fine-grained rocks of the Weald Sub-basin where the fossil neuropterids (Neuroptera and Raphidioptera) and many other fossil insects have been collected.
The Wealden Supergroup is divided into the Hastings Beds Group and Weald Clay Group; the rock types consist of cycles of sandstone, clays, and mudstones. The main outcrops of these rocks are found in the various brickworks in south-east England.
Wealden Neuropterid Fauna
Below is an up-to-date list of all the recorded Neuropterida from the Lower Cretaceous Wealden Supergroup, UK. The details given are order, family, genus, and species. In brackets after the author name is the brickwork where the specimen was collected. The quarry name can be compared with the above stratigraphic column to give more information on the stratigraphy.
NEUROPTERIDA
Order: RAPHIDIOPTERA
Family: Mesoraphididae
Genus: Proraphidia Martynova, 1947
Proraphidia hopkinsi Jepson and Jarzembowski, 2008 (Clockhouse)
Genus: Mesoraphidia Martynov, 1925
Mesoraphidia ednae Jepson et al., 2011 (Auclaye)
Mesoraphidia hilli Jepson et al., 2011 (Rudgwick)
Order: NEUROPTERA
Family: Ithonidae
Genus: Principiala Makarkin and Menon, 2007
Principiala rudgwickensis Jepson et al., 2009 (Rudgwick)
Family: Osmylidae
Genus: Stenomylina Jepson et al., 2009
Stenomylina medialis Jepson et al., 2009 (Clockhouse)
Genus: Protosmylina Jepson et al., 2009
Protosmylina bifasciata Jepson et al., 2009 (Auclaye)
Family: Psychopsidae
Genus: Psychopsites Jepson et al., 2009b
Psychopsites rolandi Jepson et al., 2009b (Clockhouse)
Psychopsites sp. (Auclaye)
Genus: Pterinoblattina Scudder, 1885
Pterinoblattina minimus (Jepson et al. 2009) (Clockhouse)
Pterinoblattina maculosus (Jepson et al. 2009) (Auclaye)
Pterinoblattina logunovi (Jepson et al. 2009) (Smokejacks)
Pterinoblattina brigidae (Jepson et al. 2009) (Smokejacks)
Pterinoblattina proudlovei (Jepson et al. 2009) (Smokejacks)
Pterinoblattina sp. (Smokejacks)
Genus: Cretapsychops Jepson et al., 2009
Cretapsychops corami Jepson et al., 2009 (Smokejacks)
Genus: Micropsychops Jepson et al., 2009
Micropsychops parallelus Jepson et al., 2009 (Smokejacks)
Family Kalligrammatidae
Kalligramma Walther, 1904
Kalligramma roycrowsoni Jarzembowski, 2001 (Quarry Hills)
Kalligrammatidae gen. et sp. indet. (Smokejacks)
Neuroptera incertae sedis
Genus: Actinophlebioides Jepson et al., 2009
Actinophlebioides valdensis Jepson et al., 2009 (Clockhouse)
Genus: Protohemerobius Jepson et al., 2009
Protohemerobius perexiguus Jepson et al., 2009 (Auclaye)
Further Reading:
If you want to learn more, the following book gives information about the neuropterids, other fossil insects, and the palaeontology of the Wealden:
Batten, D. (editor). 2011. English Wealden Fossils. The Palaeontological Association, 769 pp.
References
Giebel, G. C. A. 1856. Vorwelt, Bd II. Die Insecten und Spinnen der Vorwelt. Vorwelt. F.U. Brodhaus, 511 pp.
Jarzembowski, E. A. 2001. A new Wealden fossil Lacewing. In: Rowlands, J. L. J. (ed), Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons: A History and Natural History. Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery, Tunbridge Wells, 56–58.
Jepson, J. E. & Jarzembowski, E. A. 2008. Two new species of snakefly (Insecta: Raphidioptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of England and Spain with a review of other fossil raphidiopterans from the Jurassic/Cretaceous transition. Alavesia, 2, 193–201.
Jepson, J. E., Makarkin, V. N. & Jarzembowski, E. A. 2009. New lacewings (Insecta: Neuroptera) from the Lower Cretaceous Wealden supergroup of Southern England. Cretaceous Research, 30(5), 1325–1338.
Jepson, J.E., Ansorge, J. & Jarzembowski, E.A. 2011. New snakeflies (Insecta: Raphidioptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of the UK, Spain and Brazil. Palaeontology, 54(2), 385-39.
