Protocoleoptera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Protocoleoptera |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | †Protocoleoptera Tillyard, 1924 |
| Superfamilies | |
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The Protocoleoptera were the very first beetles to appear on Earth. We know about them from their fossils, which are like ancient clues left in rocks.
Scientists believe the oldest ancestors of beetles lived about 280 million years ago (mya) during the Permian period. However, what we call "true" beetles didn't show up until about 230 mya, during the Triassic period.
Studying these early beetle fossils can be tricky. This is because their front wings, called elytra, are very hard and cover their back wings. These elytra don't show the tiny lines or patterns called "wing veins." For insect experts, wing veins are usually the main way they identify and group different insects. Without these veins, it's harder to understand how these ancient beetles are related to the ones we see today.
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