Protophasma (meaning "first phantom") is an extinct genus of Protorthopteran insect from the Carboniferous of Europe and North America.

Protophasma
Temporal range: Carboniferous
Protophasma dumasii
Scientific classification
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Protophasma

Brongniart, 1878
Species
  • P. dumasii
  • P. galtieri
  • P. multidiffusa

Description

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Three species of Protophasma are described, type species, Protophasma dumasii (sometimes mistyped as P. dumasi) is known from Late Carboniferous (Stephanian) Coal Measures of Commentry, France.[1] Protophasma galtieri is known from Mazon Creek fossil beds in Illinois,[2] and Protophasma multidiffusa, originally described as Heterologellus (?) multidiffusus, is known from Germany.[3] Previously assigned species, P. gaudryi later moved to the genus Protodiamphipnoa, and P. woodwardi moved into genus Cnemidolestes.[4]

P. dumasii have forewings with morphology that allows the assignment of Archaeorthoptera, but hindwings have morphological similarity to Blattodea.[1]

Sources

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  1. ^ a b Béthoux, O. (2003). "Protophasma dumasii Brongniart 1879, a link between Orthoptera and the 'dictyopterid' orders?". Journal of Orthoptera Research. 12 (1): 57–62. doi:10.1665/1082-6467(2003)012[0057:PDBALB]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1082-6467.
  2. ^ "Fossilworks: Protophasma galtieri". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  3. ^ Aristov, D. (2015-11-01). "Classification of the order eoblattida (insecta: Blattidea) with description of new taxa". Far Eastern Entomologist. V. 301.
  4. ^ Béthoux, O.; Nel, A. (2005-01-01). "Some palaeozoic 'protorthoptera' are 'ancestral' orthopteroids: Major wing braces as clues to a new split among the 'protorthoptera' (Insecta)". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 2 (4): 285–309. doi:10.1017/S1477201904001488. ISSN 1477-2019.
  • Evolution of the Insects by David Grimaldi and Michael S. Engel