Protosmylina Jepson et al., 2009

Winterton, Shaun L., Martins, Caleb Califre, Makarkin, Vladimir, Ardila-Camacho, Adrian & Wang, Yongjie, 2019, Lance lacewings of the world (Neuroptera: Archeosmylidae, Osmylidae, Saucrosmylidae): review of living and fossil genera, Zootaxa 4581 (1), pp. 1-99 : 57

Protosmylina Jepson et al., 2009

Type species. Protosmylina bifasciata Jepson et al., 2009: 1328 (by original designation).

Diagnosis. Forewing hyaline with slight banding pattern; costal area broad at base with veinlets relatively closely spaced, apparently not forked; FW with subcostal crossvein present midway along wing; FW RP stem short, RP1 originating close to origin of RP; RP with 12 closely spaced branches; three distinct gradate series of crossveins in RP; inner and outer gradate series divergent; M fork level with origin of RP2; MA irregularly branched; MP dichotomously branched; CuA pectinately branched; HW unknown.

Comments. The protosmyline affinity of this genus is undoubted, although the holotype is only an incomplete forewing. Jepson et al. (2009) suggested that the wings of Protosmylina and Protosmylus were very similar, although Protosmylina resembles Osmylidia and Pseudosmylidia more closely. The divergent orientation of the forewing gradate series and the medial fork level with the origin of the second branch of RP are features shared by these two genera. The presence of a sc-r crossvein midway along the forewing in Protosmylina is highly unusual and may be a specific characteristic.