Prophalangopsidae Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Cyphoderris buckelli | |
Pycnophlebia speciosa, a Jurassic species | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Orthoptera |
Suborder: | Ensifera |
Superfamily: | Hagloidea |
Family: | Prophalangopsidae Kirby, 1906 |
Genera | |
Extant genera: |
The family Prophalangopsidae are insects belonging to the order Orthoptera. They are the only extant members of the superfamily Hagloidea. There is only one extant genus in North America, where they are known as grigs, four genera in Asia, and many extinct genera (see below).
The earliest fossils of the family date to the Early Jurassic around 200 million years ago, and the family exhibited great diversity between the Middle Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous, with their fossil record after that time being sparse.[1]
The closest living relatives to the Prophalangopsidae are the family Tettigoniidae (katydids or bush-crickets), but the evolutionary split occurred more than 230 million years ago in the Permian.[2][3]
The female of the species consumes the wings of the male during mating.[4]
Haglidae is often used as a synonym of the family,[5] but is used to refer to a distinct grouping of extinct hagloids by paleontologists.[6]