Proraphidia

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Proraphidia is an extinct genus of snakeflies in the family Mesoraphidiidae. It lived from the Late Jurassic to the Barremian stage of the Early Cretaceous. The genus has three described species: Proraphidia gomezi, Proraphidia hopkinsi, and Proraphidia turkestanica. The type species, P. turkestanica, was first described by O. M. Martynova in 1941 from Jurassic rocks in the Karatau region of Kazakhstan (Karabastau Formation). All three species are noted for having a very small pterostigma (the colored wing cell) compared with other snakeflies.

Proraphidia hopkinsi
This species is known from a fossil forewing found in the Lower Weald Clay at the Clockhouse Brickworks in Surrey, England. The deposits date to the Late Hauterivian stage of the Early Cretaceous. The holotype forewing is about 11.5 mm long and was found in a siltstone concretion that also contained other insect remains. The wing is narrower than that of P. turkestanica, and it shows specific vein features (three crossveins between certain wing veins and a forked CuA). The holotype is housed at the Booth Museum of Natural History in Brighton, England (specimen BMB 014915-8). The species is named in honor of Dick Hopkins, a long-time Booth Museum volunteer.

Proraphidia gomezi
The holotype of this species is a partial body with overlapping fore and hind wings preserved in Early Barremian limestone from Pedrera de Meià in Rúbies, Spain. The forewings are about 13 mm long, and the hindwings are shorter with fewer veinlets in the coastal area. It is named after Gómez-Pallerola, a fossil contributor from Lleida, Spain. The holotype is housed at the Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs in Lleida (housed as specimen L. 29).

Other notes
A fourth species was once placed in Proraphidia: Proraphidia vitimica from Russia. It has since been moved to other genera (Alloraphidia and then Pararaphidia) and is no longer considered part of Proraphidia.