A new Gondwanan mayfly family from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation, Brazil (Ephemeroptera: Siphlonuroidea: Astraeopteridae fam. nov.)

Abstract

The adult holotype of the fossil mayfly Astraeoptera cretacica Brandão et al. 2021 from the Cretaceous Crato Formation, Brazil, is reviewed and attributed to a new family Astraeopteridae fam. nov. Based on alate specimens, we also describe further new representatives of Astraeopteridae fam. nov., namely Astraeoptera vitrea sp. nov. and Astraeoptera oligovenata sp. nov., as well as the new genus and species Eosophobia acuta gen. et sp. nov. A subsequent character analysis of the new material suggests systematic affinities of Astraeopteridae fam. nov. with those extant families of Siphlonuroidea distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. These newly described fossil Siphlonuroidea from the Cretaceous of Brazil thus add to the biogeography and systematics of mayflies.