A new Osmylopsychopidae (Neuroptera, Insecta) from the Molteno Formation further bridges Southern Gondwana Triassic localities

The neuropteran Moltenopsychops magnus n. gen., n. sp. (Osmylopsychopidae Martynova, 1949) is described from the Late Triassic of the Molteno Formation (South Africa) based on an incomplete forewing. The new taxon bears strong resemblance to Petropsychops Riek, 1956, from the Upper Triassic of Australia, in having a peculiar configuration of the median vein (M) in relation to the first branch of the radial sector (Rs1), forming together a single, anteriorly pectinate unit. The tribe Petro­psychopsini n. tr. is newly erected to encompass the two genera. Moltenopsychops magnus n. gen., n. sp. is the first species of Triassic Neuroptera to be reported from the African continent. The finding further highlights the similarity between South African and Australian Triassic insect faunas and, more generally, complements our knowledge of the diversity of Gondwanan Neuroptera in the Mesozoic.