The extinct family Hylicellidae, as the ancestral group of modern cicadomorphans, had a wide distribution and a very high species-level biodiversity from the Triassic to Early Cretaceous. We herein report 11 new hylicellid specimens from the Jurassic Daohugou beds of Inner Mongolia, NE China, and execute geometric morphometric analysis (GMA) to elucidate their systematic position. Our GMA and subsequent morphometric statistics indicate that 10 of our new specimens can be compared to the holotype of Cycloscytina gobiensis, and one is new to science. Cycloscytina incompleta new species is erected based on this specimen, with the following discriminatory tegminal traits: C3 almost as long as and slightly narrower than C2, and the forking position of stem M distinctly migrates towards wing apex and much apicad of the stem CuA bifurcating. Additionally, Cycloscytina plachutai is herein transferred to the procercopid genus Procercopina, resulting in P. plachutai new combination. To date, just a few body structures of Hylicellidae have been revealed, and the new whole-bodied hylicellids reported herein provide some novel insights on the evolution of basal Clypeata. This study also emphasizes the use of morphometric analysis in the systematics of wing-bearing insects such as hylicellids.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/84a67eba-9b7c-4e27-a436-764802c4cdfb.

A new species of the Lower Jurassic genus Dorsettia Whalley, 1985 is described from the Lower Jurassic Badaowan Formation of the Junggar Basin, northwestern China, as Dorsettia sinica new species. It provides additional morphological characters for this genus and is the earliest Jurassic dragonfly in China after the end-Triassic extinction. The occurrence of Dorsettia in England and northwestern China indicates that the end-Triassic extinction probably did not have a drastic influence on damsel-dragonflies, or that the dispersal of damsel-dragonflies was relatively quick during the earliest Jurassic.

Five orthopteran specimens from the uppermost Middle–lowermost Upper Jurassic of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China are described and attributed to the genus Sigmaboilus Fang, Zhang & Wang, 2007 (Prophalangopsidae); and a new species, S. calophlebius sp. nov., is established herein. The diagnostic characters for Sigmaboilus are revised and a key to species of Sigmaboilus, based on male forewings, is provided. Intraspecific variation in forewings of this genus is also discussed.

Abundant insect fossils have been recorded from the Lower Cretaceous of the Jiuquan Basin, but very few odonatans have been recorded. In this paper, a new damsel-dragonfly, Cretastenophlebia jiuquanensis sp. nov., is described from the Lower Cretaceous Zhonggou Formation in the Hanxiagou outcrop, Jiuquan Basin, northwestern China. This is the second species of the genus Cretastenophlebia Fleck et al., 2003. Cretastenophlebia jiuquanensis sp. nov. differs from Cretastenophlebia mongolica Fleck et al., 2003 in the presence of a broad discoidal triangle, a basally straight IR1 and less cells along the posterior wing margin between IR2 and RP2. Cretastenophlebia has been previously reported from the Lower Cretaceous of Bon-Tsagaan, central Mongolia. The new discovery expands the record of Cretastenophlebia to the Jiuquan Basin in Albian.

Megaloptera is a small order of insects that is very rare in the fossil record. Jurochauliodes ponomarenkoi n. gen. n. sp. belonging to Chauliodinae (fishflies) within Corydalidae is described based on three larvae preserved in tuffaceous siltstones from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, China. It is not only the first fossil Megaloptera from China, but also the earliest Corydalidae. It differs from Cretochaulus lacustris Ponomarenko, 1976 in having a large body, head much longer than mandibles, mandibles wide, with a small apical tooth, meso- and metathorax half as long as prothorax, profemora apically widened, abdominal segment IX short, and lateral gills shorter than hind legs. This discovery indicates that fishflies originated at least in the Middle Jurassic.

Two new species of Kalligrammula Handlirsch, 1919 (Insecta, Neuroptera, Kalligrammatidae) are described as K. lata n. sp. and K. karatensis n. sp. based on two nearly complete hindwings respectively from the Middle–Upper Jurassic of Daohugou, China and the Upper Jurassic of Karatau, Kazakhstan. Limnogramma Ren, 2003 is considered to be a junior synonym of Kalligrammula based on the hindwing venation. The distribution of kalligrammatid genera is discussed.

The Tenebrionoidea is among the most diverse group of beetles, but its fossil record is rare. A definitive oldest tenebrionoid beetle, Wuhua jurassica new genus new species, is described from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, China. It is tentatively placed as Family incertae sedis, and distinguished from others of Tenebrionoidea by the unusual combination of following characters: body convex; head strongly deflexed, not received into prothorax; antennae filiform; pygidium absent; tarsi simple and tarsal claws pectinate. This discovery extends the time of origin of Tenebrionoidea to the Middle Jurassic. Furthermore, the record of Mesozoic tenebrionoid beetles are summarized and discussed.

Trichomyia duckhousei, a new species belonging to Psychodidae Trichomyiinae, is characterized and described based on a well-preserved specimen from the lower Eocene Fushun amber of China. It shares some similarities with Trichomyia of Group B, but has some features present in the fossil record but not in Recent taxa, such as non-eccentric flagellomeres and long legs. This discovery represents the first Trichomyiinae (Psychodidae) from the Fushun amber, and adds more evidence on the very high palaeodiversity of the psychodids since at least the middle Cretaceous. An updated check list of fossil Trichomyiinae is given.

The Palaeontinidae (Insecta: Cicadomorpha) from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone of Bavaria are revised. The diagnostic characters for three monotypic genera Eocicada Oppenheim, 1888, Prolystra Oppenheim, 1888 and Archipsyche Handlirsch, 1906 are reassessed based on newly discovered material. Beloptesis gigantea (Weyenbergh, 1874), B. oppenheimi Handlirsch, 1906, Limacodites mesozoicus Handlirsch, 1906, and Protopsyche braueri Handlirsch, 1906 are considered to be junior synonyms of Prolystra lithographica Oppenheim, 1888. Eocicada lameerei Handlirsch, 1908 is a junior synonym of E. microcephala Oppenheim, 1888. A key to the species of Solnhofen Palaeontinidae is presented. Solnhofen Palaeontinidae and most Cretaceous Palaeontinidae most probably form a monophyletic group based on the following characters: costal area narrow, vein RA branching from stem R basally, vein ScP not fused with vein RA, clavus much reduced and hindwing smaller. Furthermore, Solnhofen Palaeontinidae are probably basal to Cretaceous Palaeontinidae by the mesonotum lacking distinct longitudinal carinae. A fast succession from early to more derived Palaeontinidae took place during Late Jurassic times. Early Palaeontinidae declined sharply in the Late Jurassic, probably owing to the rise of newly evolved insectivorous animals like early birds and mammals. Late Palaeontinidae with better flight ability survived and became a dominant insect group during latest Jurassic times.