Revision of the giant pterygote insect Bojophlebia prokopi Kukalova-Peck, 1985 (Hydropalaeoptera: Bojophlebiidae) from the Carboniferous of the Czech Republic, with the first cladistic analysis of fossil palaeopterous insects

The holotype is redescribed of the giant pterygote insect Bojophlebia prokopi Kukalova-Peck, 1985 from the Pennsylvanian of the Czech Republic. Multiple errors in the original description are documented and corrected. Bojophlebia prokopi has neither any visible traces of a costal brace nor an anal brace, but it does show triadic branchings of MA, MP, CuA, and even, as rare a plesiomorphy, of CuP. It is therefore rejected as a fossil stem mayfly and attributed as sister group of all other Hydropalaeoptera. The first cladistic analysis of fossil palaeopterous insects, including different palaeodictyopterid groups, is presented. A revised phylogeny of Hydropalaeoptera and the stem line of Ephemeroptera are suggested. Palaeodictyopterida is recognized as sister group of Neoptera; thus Palaeoptera s.l. is rejected as a paraphyletic taxon. Four new higher taxa - Paranotalia, Euhydropalaeoptera, Neopterygota and Litophlebioidea superfam. nov. - are introduced, as well as the new family Lithoneuridae.http://zoobank.org/urn/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1B16D6AB-2B29-4891-A61D-A9212A85493