Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
426 / Paleozoic
Lithomantis
Lithomantis carbonarius
Leaf-like thoracic lobes accompanied four functional wings.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 311–305 million years ago
- Final stage
- Late Carboniferous
- Geographic range
- Coal forest · Britain
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Lithomantis?
Lithomantis (Lithomantis carbonarius) was an extinct organism known from About 311–305 million years ago, with a range in Coal forest · Britain.
Life and ecology
This palaeodictyopteran flew among lycophytes and seed ferns and probably pierced plants for sap.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Lithomantis disappear?
Its order disappeared during late Paleozoic insect turnover; that turnover does not establish why Lithomantis itself vanished.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Lithomantis?
Compression fossils preserve wings, thoracic lobes and the mouthpart outline.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS