Titanoptera

Titanoptera (from Ancient Greek Τιτάν (Titán), meaning "Titan", and πτερόν (pterón), meaning "wing") is an extinct order of neopteran insects from late Carboniferous to Triassic periods. Titanopterans were very large in comparison with modern insects, some having wingspans of up to or even .

== Description == left|thumb|Reconstruction of Gigatitan vulgaris, showing its large size Titanopterans are related to modern grasshoppers, but were much larger, had proportionally weaker hindlegs that could not allow the animals to leap, and grasping forelegs and elongated mandibles. Another distinctive feature was the presence of prominent fluted regions on the forewings, which may have been used in stridulation. The general shape and anatomy of the titanopterans suggests that they were predators.