Chresmoda is an extinct genus of insects within the family Chresmodidae.
Description
Chresmoda are large enigmatic insects with very long specialized legs, probably adapted for skating on the water surface similar to pond skaters. They can reach a body length of about , with a forewing length of about . Some lagre specimens could reached a size of about .
These Polyneoptera of uncertain position have been considered aquatic and living on the water surface, probably predaceous on nektonic small animals.
They lived during the Cretaceous of Brazil, China, Lebanon, Spain, United Kingdom, Mongolia and Myanmar, as well as in the Late Jurassic of Germany, from 150.8 to 93.5 Ma from the Tithonian to the Cenomanian ages. While most species are known from compression fossils, Chresmoda chikuni is known from well preserved 3-dimensional specimens in amber.
Species
- Chresmoda aquatica <small>Martinez-Delclos, 1989 La Pedrera de Rubies Formation and Las Hoyas, Spain, Barremian</small>
- Chresmoda chikuni <small>Zhang & Ge in Zhang et al., 2017 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian</small>
- Chresmoda libanica <small>Nel et al., 2004 Sannine Formation, Lebanon, Cenomanian</small>
- Chresmoda multinervis <small>Zhang et al., 2009 Dabeigou Formation, China, Early Cretaceous</small>
- Chresmoda mongolica <small>Ponomarenko, 1986 Gurvan-Eren Formation, Mongolia, Aptian</small>
- Chresmoda neotropica <small>Engel & Heads, 2008 Crato Formation, Brazil, Aptian</small>
- Chresmoda obscura <small>Germar, 1839 Solnhofen Limestone, Germany, Tithonian</small>: can reach a size of about . These Polyneoptera of uncertain position have been considered aquatic and terrestrial bug or phasmids. They should instead be anomalous paraplecopterids living on the water surface, probably predaceous on nektonic small animals. They lived during the Jurassic of Germany, from 150.8 to 145.5 Ma.
- Chresmoda orientalis <small>Esaki, 1949 Yixian Formation, China, Aptian</small>
- Chresmoda oweni <small>Westwood, 1854 Purbeck Group, United Kingdom, Berriasian</small>
- Chresmoda shihi <small>Zhang et al., 2009 Dabeigou Formation, China, Early Cretaceous</small>
References
External links