1963] 
Carpenter — Carboniferous Insects 
127 
on the surface of the rock matrix as can be recognized easily from an 
examination of the fossil. Brongniart made no reference to such 
processes nor did Lameere. They were first shown by Handlirsch in 
his reconstruction but probably with no more reason than he showed 
ocelli, compound eyes, mouth-parts, antennae and tarsal claws, — none 
of which are even indicated in the fossil. 5 
Probable Relationships of Triplosoba 
Triplosoba has nearly consistently been placed in the extinct Order 
Protephemerida, which was erected for it by Handlirsch in 1906. 
There are no other known genera of insects sufficiently close to Trip- 
losoba to justify their inclusion in that order. However, the Permian 
Protereismatidae (and related families), which are accepted as true 
Ephemeroptera, tend to bridge the gap between Triplosoba and the 
Mesozoic and Recent mayflies. Inclusion of Triplosoba within the 
Ephemeroptera now seems more reasonable than it did in 1906, 
especially if it be placed in a separate suborder (Protephemerida). 
This is in fact the suggestion made by Demoulin, although I am not 
in accord with the reasons which he gives for that proposal, i.e., the 
supposed triangulization of the fore wing and the beginning of reduc- 
tion of the hind wing. The most distinctive characteristic of Trip- 
losoba (so far as we now know) is the independence of MA from Rs 
in both wings. In the hind wings MA is remote from Rs and seems 
to join MP directly near the base of the wing; in the fore wing MA 
is much closer to the base of Rs and actually coalesces with R without 
first joining MP. In all other Ephemeroptera, which may be regarded 
as comprising the suborder Euplectoptera, MA in both wings coalesces 
with Rs before diverging posteriorly and joining MP. In the Pro- 
tereismatidae it diverges posteriorly again to meet MP but in Recent 
5 I seriously question the usefulness of such reconstructions as these given by 
Handlirsch and Demoulin in which there is no differentiation between struc- 
tures actually preserved in the fossil and those which are merely assumed by 
the author to have been present. Such reconstructions are, in fact, often mis- 
leading since they give the general impression that the details shown are 
actually preserved. 
Explanation of Plate 14 
Triplosoba pulchella (Brongniart). All figures based on type counterpart 
18-9. a) Brongniart’s figure of counterpart 18-9; b) original drawing of left 
fore wing; c) original drawing of right fore wing; d) original drawing of 
left hind wing, C, costa ; Rl, radius ; R2, R3, R+ + 5, branches of radial sector ; 
IR2 and IR3, intercalary veins of radial sector; MA, anterior media; MP, 
posterior media, CuA, anterior cubitus; CuP, posterior cubitus; + , convex 
veins ; , concave veins. 
