Abstract
In the infraclass Paleoptera are the orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) and Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), the living species of which represent the few remains of two formerly very extensive groups. Although both are placed in the Paleoptera, it should be realized that the Ephemeroptera and Odonata are two very different groups that must have diverged at a very early stage in the evolution of winged insects. They possess the following common features which unite them as Paleoptera: wings that cannot be folded back against the body when not in use, retention of the anterior median wing vein, netlike arrangement of wing veins (many crossveins), aquatic juvenile stage, and considerable change from juvenile to adult form. In members of both orders, wing development is external, though this feature is not, of course, restricted to Paleoptera.
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Gillott, C. (1980). Paleoptera. In: Entomology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6918-3_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6918-3_6
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