Namurotypus sippeli
“ An insect's evolution from a harmless Paleozoic-era bug into a huge dragonfly-like predator is a terrifying thought for anyone who has ever been frightened by bugs. ”
– unknown author
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Division: Palaeoptera
Superorder: Odonatoptera
Order: †Meganisoptera
Family: †Meganeuridae
Genus: †Meganeura
Species: †Meganeura monyi
Descendant: other bugs
Named by: C. Brauckmann and W. Zessin
Year Published: 1989
Size: 15 cm long forewing
Lifespan: 10+ years?
Activity: Diurnal 🌅
Thermoregulate: Ectotherm
Type: Insects (†Griffenflies)
Title:
Largest Dragonfly
Pantheon:
Terran/Gaian 🇺🇳
Time Period: Late Carboniferous
Alignment: Reactive
Threat Level: ★★★★★
Diet: Carnivorous 🥩🪲
Elements: Air 🌬️
Inflicts: none
Weaknesses: Fire 🔥, Water 🌊, Rock 🪨, Air 🌬️, Electric ⚡, Leaf 🌿, Ice ❄️
Casualties: n/a
Based On: itself
Conservation Status: Extinct (EX) – IUCN Red List
Namurotypus is an extinct genus of griffinfly with a single described species Namurotypus sippeli.
meh 😑
Twelve segments make up the body of Namurotypus, which also features an oval face, three pairs of legs, four multicolored long wings, one pair of medium-length antennas, and three pairs of appendages on the tip of the tail. Unlike contemporary dragonflies, Namaurotypus lacked supplementary male sex organs and had a forewing that was 15 cm long. Namaurotypus belongs to the extinct order Meganisoptera, which has many characteristics with and is closely related to dragonflies and damselflies. These three animals are all members of the larger group Odonatoptera.
Griffinfies were predators that mostly ate other insects. Because each wing is controlled by a separate muscle, they can change direction quickly and with amazing agility, which allows them to chase prey at high speeds while hovering in midair. In other words, their muscles are essentially attached directly to the base of each wing.
The larvae of griffinflies are unique in that they pursue passing prey while residing in burrows along the riverbank. If a griffinfly lands on you, it won't bite. But if you grab a griffinfly and hold it in your palm carelessly, its teeth can reach your skin. The griffinfly may bite you to protect itself.
Prehistoric insects appear to have far outstripped the upper limit on body size set by the way oxygen diffuses through their tracheal breathing apparatus. Harlé (1911) first suggested that Meganeura could only fly because the atmosphere of Earth at the time had a higher oxygen content than the current 20 percent.
If this theory is right, these insects could not have survived in our current environment and would have been vulnerable to declining oxygen levels. There are "rapid cycles of tracheal compression and expansion" that show insects actually breathe, according to other studies. According to recent research on the flight energetics of contemporary insects and birds, the air density and oxygen concentrations both serve as upper bounds on size.
Other scientists initially rejected this theory, but more recent research on the connection between gigantism and oxygen availability has supported it. In humans and animals, breathing air that has more Carboniferous oxygen than the typical 21 percent found in the Earth's atmosphere can lead to organ damage, seizures, and even death, especially if the amount is higher than what the body requires.
Another theory suggests that insects that developed in water before becoming terrestrial as adults grew bigger as a way to protect themselves against the high levels of oxygen. Research on close relatives Meganeurula and Meganeurites suggest that Meganeura was adapted to open habitats, and similar in behaviour to extant hawkers. The eyes of Meganeura were likely enlarged relative to body size.
Rather, the species had far larger compound eyes and lived in more open environments. Similar to contemporary hawker dragonflies, these were dorsally hypertrophied, a specialty for long-distance eyesight above the animal in flight. They have the same specializations that dragonflies utilize to catch prey while in flight: strong mandibles with sharp teeth, robust spines on the tibiae and tarsi, and a noticeable thoracic skewness.
Studies indicate that Meganuera's typically lived near the edge of bodies of water such as streams and ponds. Furthermore, as carnivores they mainly ate other insects, small amphibians, and vertebrates using their long spine-like legs to grab and hold their prey.
Although griffinflies are thought to be harmful or hostile to people, they can be an annoyance when they are present in large enough numbers and are essential for managing insect populations.
During the Late Carboniferous epoch, this beetle traveled from Northern China to Germany. This species inhabits marshes and other wetlands, including old woods that produce coal.
Movement Pattern: Random
Individual Type: Solo
Population Trend: Unknown
Population: ???
Locomotion: Terrestrial
Habitat: Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests, Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Warm River; Lukewarm River; Warm Pond.
Earth:
Extinct: Austria; Czechia; China; Germany; India; Jordan; Mongolia; Pakistan; Palestine; Poland; Slovakia; Slovenia; Switzerland
Coming soon
The predecessors of silverfish, along with those of jumping bristletails, are considered the earliest and most primitive insects. They evolved at the latest in mid-Devonian and possibly as early as late Silurian more than 400 million years ago. Some fossilized arthropod trackways from the Paleozoic Era, known as Stiaria intermedia and often attributed to jumping bristletails, may have been produced by silverfish.
none
Coming soon