The Paraprotopsyllidiidae: biodiversity, geographical distribution and taxonomic updates

Abstract We report the first and oldest record of family Paraprotopsyllidiidae (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha), the taxon Laopsyllidium daohugouensis gen. et sp. nov., collected from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou bed, northeast China. With this new discovery, the biodiversity of the extinct family increases to a total of five genera and seven species, all dated to the Mesozoic (Middle Jurassic to mid‐Cretaceous). We also revise and update the diagnosis and included genera for the family, in addition to the diagnosis and included species for the genera Angustipsyllidium , Burmapsyllidium and Paraprotopsyllidium . Finally, we investigate the palaeobiogeographic distribution of the Paraprotopsyllidiidae: based on its discovered representatives, the family's fossil record remains thus far limited to the region of East Asia, rather than globally spread as other Protopsyllidioidea. Paraprotopsyllidiids appear to have expanded across the East of Laurasia (China) from North to South, then to the West Burma Block during the Mesozoic. The family needs to be further investigated in other deposits worldwide to produce a more accurate understanding of its palaeobiogeographical distribution, which will consequently help to fill some gaps in our knowledge of the evolution of the Protopsyllidioidea, and the Sternorrhyncha in general. In addition, we discuss in this work inferences on the wing venation patterns and the potential habits of Paraprotopsyllidiidae, and present a key to the genera of the family and a checklist of all described species assigned to Protopsyllidioidea.