Extant representatives of the mayfly family Ameletopsidae Edmunds, 1957 as well as other three small families (Nesameletidae Riek, 1973, Oniscigastridae Lameere, 1917 and Rallidentidae Penniket, 1966) traditionally have been classified within the paraphyletic superfamily Siphlonuroidea. Except for Rallidentidae, which are endemic to New Zealand, they have an amphinotic distribution. Ameletopsidae are present with two genera in South America, one genus in Australia, and one genus in New Zealand. The fossil record of Ameletopsidae is scarce. The Mesozoic monospecific genus Promirara Jell & Duncan, 1986 was described from a larva of the Early Cretaceous Koonwarra Fossil Bed in Australia. Also associated with Ameletopsidae is the Cenozoic genus Balticophlebia Demoulin, 1968, which was recorded from Eocene Baltic amber based on a female adult. While the systematic position of the Eocene Balticophlebia seems to be still unclear and in need of clarification, we are able to confirm the presence of Ameletopsidae in the Eocene of Europe by describing Nebesna sotnia gen. & sp. nov. based on a relatively well-preserved male imago from Baltic amber. The fossil record thus indeed supports an ancient Pangean history of this family.

• Keywords
• Cenozoic, Laurasia, Mayflies, Mesozoic, Pangea, Siphlonuroidea, amphinotic distribution,
• MeSH
• Ephemeroptera * classification   anatomy & histology   MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Amber * chemistry   MeSH
• Fossils * MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Australia MeSH
• New Zealand MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Amber * MeSH

One of the fundamental questions in insect evolution is the origin of their wings and primary function of ancestral wing precursors. Recent phylogenomic and comparative morphological studies broadly support a terrestrial ancestor of pterygotes, but an aquatic or semiaquatic ancestor cannot be ruled out. Here new features of the branchial system of palaeodictyopteran larvae of several different instars of Katosaxoniapteron brauneri gen. et sp. nov. (Eugereonoidea) from the late Carboniferous collected at Piesberg (Germany) are described, which consist of delicate dorsolateral and lamellate caudal abdominal gills that support an aquatic or at least semiaquatic lifestyle for these insects. Moreover, the similar form and surface microstructures on the lateral abdominal outgrowths and thoracic wing pads indicate that paired serial outgrowths on segments of both tagmata presumably functioned as ancestral type of gills resembling a protopterygote model. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the wing sheaths of later stage damselfly larvae in hypoxic conditions have a respiratory role similar to abdominal tracheal gills. Hence, the primary function and driving force for the evolution of the precursors of wing pads and their abdominal homologues could be respiration.

• MeSH
• Biological Evolution * MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Insecta genetics   MeSH
• Wings, Animal * anatomy & histology   MeSH
• Larva genetics   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH