A new mesopanorpodid scorpionfly (Insecta: Mecoptera) from the Mesozoic of Jilin Province, northeastern China

Mesopanorpodidae Tillyard, 1918 is a small extinct family of Mecoptera described from France, Russia, China, Australia, and South Africa ranging from the Late Permian to the Late Triassic. The systematic placement of Mesopanorpodidae is debated; some suggested it as a separate family (Riek, 1953, 1976; Carpenter, 1992; Ren et al., 1995; Van Dijk & Geertsema, 1999; Hong et al., 2002; Hong & Guo, 2003; Sun et al., 2007), whereas others considered it a member of Permochoristidae Tillyard, 1918 (Martynova, 1962; Novokshonov, 2001; Novokshonov et al., 2004; Bashkuev, 2011). As all mesopanorpodids distinctly differ from Permochoristidae by their constant four-branched Rs and M in both forewing and hind wing, here we regard it as a valid family. Herein, we describe the first species of Prochoristella Riek, 1953 (Mesopanorpodidae) from the Xiaofengmidingzi Formation of Jilin Province, northeastern China.