The Protorthoptera are an extinct order of Palaeozoic insects, and represent a wastebasket taxon and paraphyletic assemblage of basal neoptera^{[citation needed]}. 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.

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Families ...

Protorthoptera Temporal range: 318–299 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Middle Carboniferous
Hadentomum americanum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Cohort:	Polyneoptera
Order:	†Protorthoptera Handlirsch, 1906
Families
See text
Synonyms
Cacurgida Paraplecoptera Protoblattodea Protoblattoidea

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Protorthoptera^[1]

• †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
  • †Palaeocixius
• †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
  • †Polyetes Handlirsch, 1906
  • †Pruvostia Bolton, 1921
  • †Pseudogerarus Handlirsch, 1906
  • †Pseudopolyernus Handlirsch, 1906
  • †Ptenodera Bolton, 1922
  • †Schuchertiella Handlirsch, 1911