Lodetiella magnifica nov. gen. and nov. sp. (Insecta: Palaeodictyoptera; Permian), an extreme situation in wing morphology of palaeopterous insects

9 pages; International audience; Based on published data and review of Mecynoptera splendida Handlirsch, 1904, a wing venation ground plan applicable to most taxa of the Palaeozoic superorder Palaeodictyopteroidea is proposed, where each major vein system has a simple anterior sector, and, primitively, a dichotomously branched posterior sector. Lodetiella magnifica nov. gen. and sp. is described, based on an isolated hind wing from the Salagou Formation (Middle to Late Permian; He´rault, France). The venation of Lodetiella magnifica conforms to the predicted ground plan, but differs by its simple posterior cubitus sector. This character is diagnostic of the family Calvertiellidae (Palaeodictyoptera), whose diagnosis is updated.Wing movement in flight is inferred from the peculiar wing vein organization of Lodetiella magnifica. Some ecological preferences might explain the relative rarity of calvertiellids in the fossil record.