Titanopterida

Reconstruction of Gigatitan sp., from Gorochov & Rasnitsyn (2002).

Belongs within: Pantcholmanvissiida.

The Titanopterida are very large, raptorial insects known from the Triassic of Asia and Australia. Béthoux (2007) identified titanopteridans as derived from basal Orthoptera, implying a loss of jumping abilities in this lineage. They were defined by Béthoux (2007) by the synapomorphy of forewings with veins CuPaα• (the posterior branch of CuPaα from its first branching) + CuPaβ and CuPb having the same point of origin.

<==Titanopterida [Mesotitanida, Mesotitanina, Mesotitanini, Mesotitanoptera, Titanoptera]
    |  i. s.: Permotitan Gorochov 2004 B07
    |           `--P. vladimiri Gorochov 2004 B07
    |--Gigatitan Sharov 1968 B07 [incl. Nanotitan Sharov 1968 B07; Gigatitanidae GR02]
    |    |--G. extensus (Sharov 1968) [=Nanotitan extensus] B07
    |    |--G. magnificus (Sharov 1968) B07
    |    `--G. vulgaris Sharov 1968 B07
    |--Paratitanidae G03
    |    |--Microtitan Gorochov 2003 G03
    |    |    `--*M. zherichini Gorochov 2003 G03
    |    `--Paratitan Sharov 1968 G03
    |         |--P. bispeculum Gorochov 2003 G03
    |         |--P. intermedius Gorochov 2003 G03
    |         |--P. latispeculum Gorochov 2003 G03
    |         |--P. libelluloides Sharov 1968 G03
    |         |--P. longispeculum Gorochov 2003 G03
    |         |--P. modestus Gorochov 2003 G03
    |         |--P. ovalis Sharov 1968 G03
    |         |--P. reductus Gorochov 2003 G03
    |         `--P. venosus Gorochov 2003 G03
    `--Mesotitanidae G03
         |--Prototitan Sharov 1968 [Prototitaninae] G03
         |    |--*P. primitivus Sharov 1968 G03
         |    `--P. sharovi Gorochov 2003 G03
         `--Mesotitaninae [Clathrotitanidae] G03
              |--Ultratitan Sharov 1968 G03
              |    `--U. superior Sharov 1968 G03
              |--Mesotitanodes Sharov 1968 G03
              |    |--M. similis (Sharov 1968) [=Prototitan similis] G03
              |    `--M. tillyardi Sharov 1968 G03
              `--Mesotitan Tillyard 1916 B07 [incl. Clathrotitan McKeown 1937 G03]
                   |--M. giganteus Tillyard 1916 B07
                   |--M. libelluloides (Sharov 1968) B07
                   |--M. ovalis (Sharov 1968) B07
                   |--M. primitivus (Sharov 1968) B07
                   |--M. scullyi Tillyard 1925 G03 (see below for synonymy)
                   `--M. superior (Sharov 1968) B07

Mesotitan scullyi Tillyard 1925 G03 [=Clatrotitan scullyi F71; incl. Clathrotitan andersoni McKeown 1937 G03, M. tillyardi McKeown 1937 G03]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B07] Béthoux, O. 2007. Cladotypic taxonomy applied: titanopterans are orthopterans. Arthropod Systematics and Phylogeny 65 (2): 135-156.

[F71] Fletcher, H. O. 1971. Catalogue of type specimens of fossils in the Australian Museum, Sydney. Australian Museum Memoir 13: 1-167.

[G03] Gorochov, A. V. 2003. New and little known Mesotitanidae and Paratitanidae (Titanoptera) from the Triassic of Kyrgyzstan. Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal 2003 (4): 62-69 (transl. Paleontological Journal 37 (4): 400-406).

[GR02] Gorochov, A. V., & A. P. Rasnitsyn. 2002. Superorder Gryllidea Laicharting, 1781 (=Orthopteroidea Handlirsch, 1903). In History of Insects (A. P. Rasnitsyn & D. L. J. Quicke, eds) pp. 293-303. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht.