Family Petaluridae (Petaltails)

Abundant fossils show that the petaltails flourished in the Jurassic Period, at least 150 million years ago, well before the landmass that is now BC existed. Today, 11 species persist in widely scattered regions - New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Japan, the Appalachian Mountains and western North America. The eyes of petaltails are separated and the pterostigma is long and narrow; females have an ovipositor. Larvae live where water seeps and trickles over the ground, and many species make burrows; they are amphibious, spending much time out of water.

Tanypteryx hageni (Black Petaltail)