Prohepialus Explained

Prohepialus is an extinct genus of insect of uncertain phylogenetic placement. It was originally identified as a moth in the family Hepialidae; however, Simonsen, Wagner & Heikkilä (2019) considered it more likely to be a symphytan wasp.[1] It contains only one species, Prohepialus incertus, which was described from a Thanetian crater lake diatomite (Paleocene) in Menat (Puy-de-Dôme), France. A second specimen is known from the Bembridge Marls (Eocene) in the United Kingdom.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Thomas J. Simonsen . David L. Wagner . Maria Heikkilä . 2019 . Ghosts from the past: a review of fossil Hepialoidea (Lepidoptera) . PeerJ . 7 . e7982 . 10.7717/peerj.7982 . 31737446 . 6855209 . free .
  2. http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=basicTaxonInfo&taxon_no=136348 Paleobiology database