A new basal osmylid neuropteran insect from the Middle Jurassic of China linking Osmylidae to the Permian – Triassic Archeosmylidae

A new osmylid neuropteran insect Archaeosmylidia fusca gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Middle Jurassic locality of Daohugou (Inner Mongolia, China). Its forewing venation differs from that of other hitherto known osmylids by a set of plesiomorphic features. This genus is considered here as representing a basal group of Osmylidae. The Permian–Triassic family Archeosmylidae comprises the genera Archeosmylus, Babykamenia, and Lithosmylidia. Archaeosmylidia and Archeosmylidae share the few−branched CuP, the absence of zigzag vein pattern, and the scarcity of the crossveins in the radial space.Weestimate that Osmylidae might have originated in the Triassic from some “archeosmylid−like” ancestor.