New genus and species of Stomatopoda (Malacostraca: Hoplocarida: Gorgonophontidae) from the Middle Pennsylvanian of Oklahoma, USA

Abstract A new genus and species of archaeostomatopodan from Oklahoma, USA, Pelorophontes mayi, n. gen., n. sp., expands the known morphological variation for Archaeostomatopodea and for Paleozoic stomatopods. The presence of an archaeostomatopod in Pennsylvanian (Moscovian) rocks of Oklahoma, USA reinforces the Laurussian biogeographic range for early stomatopods. Analysis of morphology using PCA suggests that a new arrangement of genera and families within the three suborders of Stomatopoda may better reflect the relationships among and between early stomatopodan taxa.