Meganeura
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The Meganeura is ancient dragonfly from the Carboniferous era about 300 million years ago. It had a wing span of more than 75 cm and probably was the largest insect to ever appear on earth.
These insects were predatory, feeding on samll amphibians and other insects. Fossils have been discovered in the Stephanian Coal Measures of Commentry in France in 1880. Later, in 1885, the French paleantologist Brongniart described the fossil and named it Meganeura monyi. The holotype of the species is housed in Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris.
External Links
- All About Meganeura (http://www.ub.es/dpep/meganeura/meganeura.htm) A palaeoentomological NewsletterTemplate:Invertebrate-stub