Kansas School Naturalist: The Permian Insect Fossils of Elmo, Kansas

Psocoptera (Pterygota: Neoptera: Exopterygota) Perm.-Hol. Psocids are still found today and are called bark lice or book lice.They are diminutive insects with large heads, prominent eyes, and chewing mouthparts.Three families, 7 genera, 12 species.

- Psocidiidae Tillyard 1926
-- Dichentotum Tillyard 1926
---- tinctum Tillyard 1926 (Fig. 17)
---- minimum (Tillyard) 1926
---- latum Carpenter 1932
---- parvulum Carpenter 1932
---- grande Carpenter 1933
- Permopsocidae Tillyard 1926
-- Prognopsocus Tillyard 1926
---- permianus Tillyard 1926
-- Permopsocus Tillyard 1926
---- latipennis Tillyard 1926
---- ovatus Carpenter 1939
-- Lithopsocidium Carpenter 1932
---- permianum Carpenter 1932
-- Orthopsocus Carpenter 1932
---- simgularis Carpenter 1932
- Lophioneuridae Tillyard 1921
-- Cyphoneura Carpenter 1932
---- permiana Carpenter 1932
-- Cyphoneurodes Becker-Migsisova 1953
---- reducta (Carpenter) 1932 (Cyphoneura)

Caloneurodea (Pterygota: Neoptera: Exoptery-gota) U.Carb.-Perm. Considered to be related to the Protorthoptera, but the latter have different fore and hind wings, while the wings of Caloneurodea are similar. Chewing mouthparts and long, slender antennae. Five families, 5 genera, 6 species.

- Anomalogrammatidae Carpenter 1943
-- Anomalogramma Carpenter 1943
---- parvum Carpenter 1943
- Apisdoneuridae Carpenter 1961
-- Apisdoneura Carpenter 1943
---- flexa Carpenter 1943
- Paleuthygrammatidae Carpenter 1943
-- Paleuthygramma Martynov 1930
---- acutum Carpenter 1943
- Permobiellidae Tillyard 1937
-- Permobiella Tillyard 1937
---- perspicua Tillyard 1937
- Pleisiogrammatidae Carpenter 1943
-- Pleisiogramma Carpenter 1943
---- mediale Carpenter 1943
---- reducta Carpenter 1943

Miomoptera (Pterygota: Neoptera: Exopterygota) U.Carb.-Perm. Small to very small insects with biting mouthparts, short cerci, and nearly identical fore and hind wings. Little is known of the bodies of species of this order.One family, 1 genus, 4 species.

- Palaeomanteidae Handlirsch 1906
-- Palaeomantis Handlirsch 1904
---- minutum (Sellards) 1904 (Delopterum)
---- elongates (Sellards) 1909 (Delopsocus)
---- latus (Sellards) 1909 (Delopsocus)
---- kansasum (Carpenter) 1939 (Delopterum)

Hemiptera (Pterygota: Neoptera: Exopterygota) Perm.-Hol. The Elmo Permian Hemiptera: Homop-tera were mostly small. Like today's Homoptera (cicadas, plant hoppers, etc.), the Permian forms had sucking mouthparts.One family, 4 genera, 10 species.

Homoptera Leach 1815
- Archescytinidae Tillyard 1926
-- Archysctina Tillyard 1926
---- permiana Tillyard 1926
---- muiri (Tillyard) 1926 (Permoscytina)
- Permoscytina Tillyard 1926
-- kansasensis Tillyard 1926
- Permopsylla Tillyard 1926
---- americana Tillyard 1926
---- cubitalis (Carpenter) 1933 (Lithoscytina)
---- grandis Carpenter 1933
---- anomala Carpenter 1933
---- minuta Carpenter 1931
---- permiana Carpenter 1931
-- Paleoscytina Carpenter 1931
---- brevistigma Carpenter 1931

Glosselytrodea (Pterygota: Neoptera: Endoptery-gota) Perm.-Jur. Although the body structure of this order is very poorly known, Carpenter considers these small insects to be Endopterygota, i.e. insects with complete metamorphosis. This is because the wings have traits that are found in the endopterygote Order Neuroptera: rows of setae on the wing veins, cross veins, and wing margins, and the position of the wings at rest. One family, 1 genus, 1 species.

- Permoberothidae Tillyard 1932
-- Permoberotha Tillyard 1932
---- villosa Tillyard 1932

Fig. 18.P. inaequalis from Carpenter 1930 (Ref. 4)

Mecoptera (Pterygota: Neoptera: Endopterygota) Perm.-Hol.Small to medium-sized insects with a long, beaklike face.They have chewing mouthparts. Modern forms are predaceous or eat dead insects.Modern Mecoptera are often found in wooded areas.Called scorpion flies because of upturned genitalia of males of the modern family Panorpidae, which resemble the tails of scorpions.Four families, 6 genera, 8 species.

- Permopanorpidae Tillyard 1926
-- Permopanorpa Tillyard 1926
---- formosa Tillyard 1926
---- inaequalis Tillyard 1926 (See Fig. 18)
---- schucherti Tillyard 1926
- Permochoristidae Tillyard 1918
-- Protochorista Tillyard 1926
---- tetraclada Tillyard 1926
-- Protopanorpa Tillyard 1926
---- permiana Tillyard 1926
- Agetopanorpidae Carpenter 1930
-- Agetopanorpa Carpenter 1930
---- maculata Carpenter 1930
- Lithopanorpidae Carpenter 1930
-- Lithopanorpa Carpenter 1930
---- pusilla (Tillyard) 1926 (Protopanorpa)
- Uncertain Family
-- Anormochorista Tillyard 1926
---- oligoclada Tillyard 1926

Uncertain Order (Pterygota: Neoptera) Eight genera, 9 species.

- Uncertain Family
-- Apheloneura Carpenter 1976
---- minutissima Carpenter 1976
---- amplia Carpenter 1976
-- Choristosialis Tillyard 1932
---- enigmatica Tillyard 1932
-- Elmothone Carpenter 1976
---- martynovae Carpenter 1976
-- Gelasopteron Carpenter 1976
---- gracile Carpenter 1976
-- Nugioneura Tillyard 1937
---- problematica Tillyard 1937
-- Permembia Tillyard 1928
---- delicatula Tillyard 1928
-- Platychorista Tillyard 1926
---- venosa Tillyard 1926
-- Trachopteryx Carpenter 1976
---- martynovi Carpenter 1976

Numbers of taxa known from Elmo:
Apterygota: 1 Order, 1 Family, 1 Genus, 1 Species

Palaeoptera: 6 Orders, 13 Families, 20 Genera, 38 Species

Neoptera: 10 Orders, 38 Families, 72 Genera, 110 Species

Total: 17 Orders, 52 families, 93 Genera, 149 Species

Figure 19 - Frank M. Carpenter working at the Elmo site in 1927

Fig. 19. Frank M. Carpenter working at the Elmo site in 1927.On a good day he and his team would find fifty fossil specimens.Photo courtesy of Liz Brosius, Kansas Geological Survey

Figure 20 - Ephemeroptera: Prote-reismatidae:Protereisma permiana Sellards 1907

Fig. 20. Ephemeroptera: Prote-reismatidae:Protereisma permiana Sellards 1907. A mayfly hind wing. scanned by Roy Beckemeyer, October 1999. Fossil is in the teaching collection of George Byers, Emeritus Professor, University of Kansas.