The first poroblattinid roachoid from the uppermost Carboniferous of Portugal

Abstract

ABSTRACT Poroblattina anadiensis sp. nov., first record of the roachoid family Poroblattinidae from Portugal, is described from the upper Gzhelian Vale da Mó ‘Formation’ of Buçaco Carboniferous Basin. The genus Poroblattina was previously known by numerous records from the Moscovian and the Asselian (time range between 306.95 and 295.0 Ma) in Euramerica, showing a high forewing venation variability. The new species is most similar to the French Moscovian Poroblattina duffieuxi, but it differs from this species in having a larger forewing, more irregularly anterior pectinate RP, and more forked branches. Poroblattina anadiensis sp. nov. supports the links between the entomofaunas of North America and Western Europe during the late Carboniferous and early Permian. Despite the intense exploration of the Buçaco Carboniferous Basin units in the nineteen-century and mid-20th century, the new discovery highlights the potential of palaeontological studies now resumed in this region.