New species of the Mesochrysopidae (Insecta, Neuroptera) from the Crato Formation of Brazil (Lower Cretaceous), with taxonomic treatment of the family

Two new species of the genus Karenina Martins-Neto belonging to the Mesozoic family Mesochrysopidae (K. leilana sp. nov. and K. longicollis sp. nov.) are described from the Nova Olinda Member, the lowest unit of the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation, northeast Brazil. A detailed definition (diagnosis and description) of this family is provided, based on those genera most similar to the type genus, Mesochrysopa Handlirsch. The genera Tachinymphes Ponomarenko, Siniphes Ren and Yin, Allopterus Zhang, Karenina Martins-Neto and Mesascalaphus Ren et al. are added to it, whereas the genera Osmylites Haase (= Nymphoides Panfilov), Chrysoleonites Martynov, Microsmylus Panfilov and Liassochrysa Ansorge and Schlüter are excluded. Allopteridae is regarded as a synonym of Mesochrysopidae. The phylogenetic position of the family is discussed. The occurrence of Mesochrysopidae in South America demonstrates that its widespread distribution included Gondwana.