1969] 
Kukalova — Palaeodictyoptera 
167 
with terminal branches; Rs with 3-10 pectinate branches; both MA 
and MP with at least two branches, usually more; CuA with several 
branches, CuP with few branches or even simple; several anal veins. 
Cross veins mostly simple and not very numerous. The wings are 
often marked with broad transverse bands or with spots. Body 
structures: Head small, broad, with large projecting eyes and a 
large striated clypeus. Beak long; antennae long, with many long 
segments. Pro thoracic lobes with radiating veins and with cross 
veins, but sometimes heavily sclerotized with the venation reduced 
or very weak. Metathorax usually somewhat longer than the meso- 
thorax. Legs short, cursorial. Abdomen relatively slender, the fe- 
males with ten visible segments and a short ovipositor; cerci in both 
sexes long and robust. Males of at least some genera with terminal 
claspers. Posterior-lateral angles of the abdominal tergites small 
and not projecting. 
The family Spilapteridae differs from all other families in the 
order, excepting the Homoiopteridae (including Rochlingiidae and 
Thesoneuridae) , Mecynostomatidae, Fouqueidae, and Eubleptidae, in 
having MA and CuA branched. Of these four families, the Homoiop- 
teridae show no close relationship to the spilapterids; Mecynosto- 
matidae, on the contrary, might have been derived from spilapterid 
ancestors. The Fouqueidae are very close to the Spilapteridae on the 
basis of their venation, which differs only in the tendency to have 
fewer branches on MA and more branches on CuP; they have been 
recognized as a distinct family mainly on the presence of a very dense 
coarse pattern of cross veins. It might turn out, as explained further 
below, that the Fouqueidae will be inseparable from the spilapterids. 
The Eubleptidae are apparently closely related to the Spilapteridae 
(Carpenter, 1965, p. 180) ; the family includes smaller species than 
those found in the Spilapteridae and is further characterized by having 
a less developed CuA and the presence of an archedictyon combined 
with cross veins. 
The following Commentry genera are herein included in the fam- 
ily Spilapteridae: Spilaptera Brongniart, Elomaloneura Brongniart, 
Becquerelia Brongniart, Palaeoptilus Brongniart, Epitethe Hand- 
lirsch, Tectoptilus gen. nov., Spiloptilus Handlirsch, and Lamprop- 
tilia Brongniart. Genera which appear to belong in the family, 
although not occurring in the Commentry shales, are the following: 
Severinopsis Kukalova, 1958 (Namurian C, Czechoslovakia) ; Mc- 
luckiepteron Richardson, 1956 (Westphalian, Illinois) ; Neuburgia 
Martynov, 1931 (Stephanian, Kuznetsk); Dunbaria Tillyard, 1924 
(Lower Permian, Kansas) ; Oboria Kukalova, 1958 (Lower Per- 
