Notiothauma
genus of insects
Notiothauma is the sole living genus in the scorpionfly family Eomeropidae. The genus is monotypic with a lone species Notiothauma reedi which is native to the Valdivian temperate rain forests of central Chile, especially the forests with Nothofagus stands. N. reedi is flattened with a notedly cockroach-like appearance. They are nocturnal and inhabit the forest floor, where the adults feed on plants and decaying animals. Due to these feeding habits, it is considered an insect of importance for forensic entomology. The larvae are still unknown. Because this is the last extant species of Eomeropidae, N. reedi can be characterized as a living fossil taxon.
Phylogeny
The proposed phylogenetic relationships of N. reedi based on Soszyńska-Maj et al 2016.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Notiothauma” is genus of insects. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Notiothauma, genus and insects, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “genus of insects” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 17, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4459977. The first chronological checks are 2016.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Notiothauma” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.