science

Protorthoptera

Protorthoptera is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Protorthoptera rather than just read about it. In short: The Protorthoptera are an extinct order of Palaeozoic insects, and represent a wastebasket taxon and paraphyletic assemblage of basal neoptera. They appear during the Middle Carboniferous (late Serpukhovian or early Bashkirian), making them among the earliest known winged insects in the fossil record.

Key takeaways

Protorthoptera belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Protorthoptera to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Protorthoptera from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Protorthoptera are an extinct order of Palaeozoic insects, and represent a wastebasket taxon and paraphyletic assemblage of basal neoptera. They appear during the Middle Carboniferous (late Serpukhovian or early Bashkirian), making them among the earliest known winged insects in the fossil record. Pronotal lobes may be expanded to form a shield. The group includes the ancestors of all other polyneopterous insects.

Families and genera Protorthoptera

†Adeloneuridae Carpenter, 1938 †Adeloneura Carpenter, 1938 †Anthracoptilidae Handlirsch, 1922 †Anthracoptilus Lameere, 1917 †Anthracothremmidae Handlirsch, 1906 †Anthracothremma Scudder, 1885 †Melinophlebia Handlirsch, 1911 †Pericalyphe Handlirsch, 1911 †Silphion Handlirsch, 1911 †Apithanidae Handlirsch, 1911 †Apithanus Handlirsch, 1911 †Asyncritidae Handlirsch, 1911 †Asyncritus Handlirsch, 1911 †Blattinopsidae Bolton, 1925 (synonym Oryctoblattinidae Handlirsch, 1906) †Blattinopsis Giebel, 1867 †Glaphyrokoris Richardson, 1956 †Glaphyrophlebia Handlirsch, 1906 †Protoblattiniella Meunier, 1912 †Cheliphlebidae Handlirsch, 1911 †Cheliphlebia Scudder, 1885 †Cymbopsidae Kukalova, 1965 †Cymbopsis Kukalova, 1965 †Epimastacidae †Eucaenidae Handlirsch, 1906 (synonym Teneopteridae) †Eucaenus Scudder, 1885 †Hadentomidae Handlirsch, 1906 (synonym Hadentomoidea Handlirsch, 1906) †Fabreciella †Fayoliella †Hadentomum Handlirsch, 1906 †Hapalopteridae Handlirsch, 1906 (synonym Aenigmatodidae Handlirsch, 1906 & Hapalopteroidea Handlirsch, 1906) †Aenigmatodes Handlirsch, 1906 †Hapaloptera Handlirsch, 1906 †Heteroptilidae Carpenter, 1977 †Heteroptilon Carpenter, 1977 †Homalophlebiidae Handlirsch, 1906 †Homalophlebia Brongniart, 1893 †Parahomalophlebia Handlirsch, 1906 †Homoeodictyidae †Homoeodictyon Carpenter, 1992 †Pachytylopsidae †Pachytylopsis Borre, 1875 †Protopachytylopsis Laurentiaux & Laurentiaux-Vieira, 1981 †Symballophlebia Handlirsch, 1904 †Stenoneuridae †Eoblattina Bolton, 1925 †Stenoneura Brongniart, 1893 †Stereopteridae Carpenter, 1950 †Stereopterum Carpenter, 1950 †Strephocladidae Martynov, 1938 †Homocladus Carpenter, 1966 †Paracladus Carpenter, 1966 †Strephocladus Scudder, 1885 †Stygnidae Handlirsch, 1906 †Stygne Handlirsch, 1906 †Thoronysididae †Thoronysis Carpenter, 1992 †Incertae sedis †Acridites Germar, 1842 †Adiphlebia Scudder, 1885 †Agogoblattina Handlirsch, 1906 †Anthrakoris Richardson, 1956 †Archaeologus Handlirsch, 1906 †Archimastax Handlirsch, 1906 †Atava Sellards, 1909 †Axiologus Handlirsch, 1906 †Chrestotes Scudder, 1868 †Commentrya Lameere, 1917 †Didymophleps Scudder, 1885 †Endoiasmus Handlirsch, 1906 †Geraroides Handlirsch, 1906 †Gyrophlebia Handlirsch, 1906 †Hemerista Dana, 1864 †Lecopterum Sellards, 1909 †Megalometer Handlirsch, 1906 †Metacheliphlebia Handlirsch, 1906 †Miamia Dana, 1864 †Palaeocixius Brongniart, 1893 †Polyetes Handlirsch, 1906 †Pruvostia Bolton, 1921 †Pseudogerarus Handlirsch, 1906 †Pseudopolyernus Handlirsch, 1906 †Ptenodera Bolton, 1922 †Schuchertiella Handlirsch, 1911

References

Carpenter, F. M. 1992. Superclass Hexapoda. Volume 3 of Part R, Arthropoda 4; Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America. Grimaldi, David & Engel, Michael S. (2005-05-16). Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82149-5.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Protorthoptera

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Protorthoptera claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Protorthoptera before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Protorthoptera ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Protorthoptera

In research: Protorthoptera appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Protorthoptera in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Protorthoptera is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Carboniferous insects, Extinct insect orders, Paraphyletic groups, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Protorthoptera outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Protorthoptera in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Protorthoptera means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Protorthoptera out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Protorthoptera in simple terms?

Why does Protorthoptera matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Protorthoptera?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Protorthoptera.