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Origins and diversity of spot-like aposematic and disruptive colorations among cockroaches. Biologia (Bratisl) 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-022-01163-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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2
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Xu C, Luo C, Jarzembowski EA, Fang Y, Wang B. Aposematic coloration from Mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210039. [PMID: 35124999 PMCID: PMC8819367 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Aposematic coloration is among the most diverse antipredator strategies, which can signal unpleasantness of organisms to potential predators and reduce the probability of predation. Unlike mimesis, aposematic coloration allows organisms to warn their predators away by conspicuous and recognizable colour patterns. However, aposematism has been a regular puzzle, especially as the long-term history of such traits is obscured by an insufficient fossil record. Here, we report the discovery of aposematic coloration in an orthopteran nymph from Mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (99 million years old). It is attributed to the extinct family Elcanidae and erected as a new genus identified by conspicuous dark/light-striped coloration, four apical spurs on the metatibia, a two-segmented metatarsus and unsegmented stylus. It represents the first fossil orthopteran preserved with aposematic coloration from the Mesozoic, demonstrating that orthopterans had evolved aposematism by the Mid-Cretaceous. Our findings provide novel insights into the early evolution of anti-predator strategies among orthopterans. Together with mimesis, debris-carrying camouflage and aposematism previously reported, our findings demonstrate the relative complexity of prey-predator interactions in the Mesozoic, especially in the Mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber forest. This article is part of the theme issue 'The impact of Chinese palaeontology on evolutionary research'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunpeng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Cihang Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China
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Gao T, Shih C, Ren D. Behaviors and Interactions of Insects in Mid-Mesozoic Ecosystems of Northeastern China. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 66:337-354. [PMID: 32916066 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-072720-095043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
During the past 20 years, more than 1,600 species of well-preserved fossil insects, including members of over 270 families within 24 orders, have been described from the Middle Jurassic Yanliao Entomofauna and Early Cretaceous Jehol Entomofauna in Northeastern China. Diversified fossil insects not only document the origin, systematics, and early evolution of many lineages, but also reveal these lineages' behaviors and interactions with coexisting plants, vertebrates, and other insects in their ecosystems. Fossil evidence has been documented, for example, regarding insects' feeding and pollination mutualism with gymnosperms; ectoparasitic feeding on blood of vertebrates; camouflage, mimicry of gymnosperm plants, and eyespot warning; sound stridulation for attracting potential mates; and sexual display, mating, egg-laying, and parental care. In this article, we review the diverse taxonomy of mid-Mesozoic insects of Northeastern China and elucidate their behaviors and interactions within their ecosystems, which have impacted their early evolution and development into extant insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiping Gao
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China; ,
| | - Chungkun Shih
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China; ,
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA;
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China; ,
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4
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Life habits and evolutionary biology of new two-winged long-proboscid scorpionflies from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1235. [PMID: 30874563 PMCID: PMC6420582 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09236-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-proboscid scorpionflies are enigmatic, mid-Mesozoic insects associated with gymnosperm pollination. One major lineage, Aneuretopsychina, consists of four families plus two haustellate clades, Diptera and Siphonaptera. One clade, Pseudopolycentropodidae, from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber, contains Parapolycentropus. Here, we newly establish Dualula, assigned to Dualulidae, constituting the fifth lineage. Parapolycentropus and Dualula lineages are small, two-winged, with unique siphonate mouthparts for imbibing pollination drops. A cibarial pump provides siphonal food inflow; in Dualula, the siphon base surrounds a hypopharynx housing a small, valved pump constricted to a narrow salivary duct supplying outgoing enzymes for food fluidization. Indirect evidence links long-proboscid mouthpart structure with contemporaneous tubulate ovulate organs. Direct evidence of gymnospermous Cycadopites pollen is associated with one Parapolycentropus specimen. Parapolycentropus and Dualula exhibit hind-wing reduction that would precede haltere formation, likely caused by Ultrabithorax. Distinctive, male Aneuretopsychina genitalia are evident from specimens in copulo, supplemented by mixed-sex individuals of likely male mating swarms. Long-proboscid scorpionflies were associated with mid-Mesozoic gymnosperm pollination. Here, Lin et al. establish a new family of long-proboscid scorpionflies from Myanmar amber, elucidate evolutionary mechanisms of hind-wing reduction, and detail feeding and reproductive habits of these insects.
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Meng QM, Labandeira CC, Ding QL, Ren D. The natural history of oviposition on a ginkgophyte fruit from the Middle Jurassic of northeastern China. INSECT SCIENCE 2019; 26:171-179. [PMID: 28737833 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2017] [Revised: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
A distinctive pattern of oviposition lesions occurs on a ginkgoalean seed, Yimaia capituliformis, which likely was inflicted by a kalligrammatid lacewing with a long, sword-like, plant-piercing ovipositor. This newly recorded oviposition type, DT272, occurs in the 165 million-year-old Jiulongshan Formation, of Middle Jurassic age, in Northeastern China. DT272 consists from three to seven, approximately equally spaced lesions with surrounding callus tissue, the fabricator of which targeted fleshy outer and inner tissues of a ginkgophyte fruit. This distinctive damage also is known from the fleshy attachment pad surfaces of basal bennettitalean bracts. Examination of the life history of this probable ginkgoalean-kalligrammatid oviposition interaction indicates that the spacing of the eggs in substrate tissues disfavored inter-larval contact, but little can be said of defense and counterdefense strategies between the plant host and the newly hatched immatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Min Meng
- Capital Normal University, College of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Conrad C Labandeira
- Capital Normal University, College of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
| | - Qiao-Ling Ding
- Capital Normal University, College of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dong Ren
- Capital Normal University, College of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
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Liu Q, Lu X, Zhang Q, Chen J, Zheng X, Zhang W, Liu X, Wang B. High niche diversity in Mesozoic pollinating lacewings. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3793. [PMID: 30224679 PMCID: PMC6141599 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06120-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Niche diversity of pollinating insects plays a vital role in maintaining extant terrestrial ecosystems. A key dimension of pollination niches refers to the insect proboscis length that commonly matches the floral tube length. Here we describe new kalligrammatid lacewings (an iconic Mesozoic pollinating insect lineage) from late Cretaceous Burmese amber and Mesozoic sediments in China. Kalligrammatids display complex configurations of elongate mouthpart elements consisting of well-developed maxillae, labium and their palps. The mouthpart lengths vary among species, from 0.6 to 18.0 mm, suggesting corresponding variability in the floral tube lengths of Mesozoic plants. With the diversification of pollinating habits, the kalligrammatids presented highly divergent traits related to chemical communication and defence mechanisms. Together with other Mesozoic long-proboscid insects, these fossils not only reveal the high niche diversity of Mesozoic pollinating insects but also highlight the diversity of Mesozoic pollinator-dependent plants prior to the rise of angiosperms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiumei Lu
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Qingqing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China
| | - Jun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, 276000, Linyi, China
| | - Xiaoting Zheng
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, 276000, Linyi, China
| | - Weiwei Zhang
- Three Gorges Entomological Museum, P.O. Box 4680, 400015, Chongqing, China
| | - Xingyue Liu
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China.
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science, 100101, Beijing, China.
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Badano D, Engel MS, Basso A, Wang B, Cerretti P. Diverse Cretaceous larvae reveal the evolutionary and behavioural history of antlions and lacewings. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3257. [PMID: 30135436 PMCID: PMC6105666 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05484-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Myrmeleontiformia are an ancient group of lacewing insects characterized by predatory larvae with unusual morphologies and behaviours. Mostly soil dwellers with a soft cuticle, their larvae fossilize only as amber inclusions, and thus their fossil record is remarkably sparse. Here, we document a disparate assemblage of myrmeleontiform larvae from the mid-Cretaceous amber (99 Ma) of Myanmar, evidence of a considerable diversification. Our cladistic analysis integrating extant and extinct taxa resolves the fossils as both stem- and crown-groups. Similarities between extinct and extant species permit inferences of larval ethology of the fossil species through statistical correlation analyses with high support, implying that morphological disparity matched behavioural diversity. An improved understanding of the evolutionary history of antlions and relatives supports the conclusion that hunting strategies, such as camouflage and fossoriality, were acquired early within the lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Badano
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e della Vita, Università degli studi di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genoa, Italy.
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA
| | - Andrea Basso
- Laboratory of Genomics, DAFNAE, Agripolis-University of Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China.
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Pierfilippo Cerretti
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
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Engel MS, Winterton SL, Breitkreuz LCV. Phylogeny and Evolution of Neuropterida: Where Have Wings of Lace Taken Us? ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 63:531-551. [PMID: 29324039 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-020117-043127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The last 25 years of phylogenetic investigation into the three orders constituting the superorder Neuropterida-Raphidioptera, Megaloptera, and Neuroptera-have brought about a dramatic revision in our understanding of the evolution of lacewings, snakeflies, dobsonflies, and their diverse relatives. Phylogenetic estimations based on combined analyses of diverse data sources, ranging from adult and larval morphology to full mitochondrial genomic DNA, have begun to converge on similar patterns, many times in accordance with hypotheses put forth by Cyril Withycombe nearly a century ago. These data, in combination with information from the fossil record, have given a revised perspective on the historical evolution and classification of Neuropterida, necessitating an overhaul of their organization and providing focus and insight on fruitful future efforts for neuropterology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-4415, USA; ,
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-4415, USA
| | - Shaun L Winterton
- California State Collection of Arthropods, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento, California 95832-1448, USA;
| | - Laura C V Breitkreuz
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-4415, USA; ,
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-4415, USA
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9
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Labandeira CC, Yang Q, Santiago-Blay JA, Hotton CL, Monteiro A, Wang YJ, Goreva Y, Shih C, Siljeström S, Rose TR, Dilcher DL, Ren D. The evolutionary convergence of mid-Mesozoic lacewings and Cenozoic butterflies. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2015.2893. [PMID: 26842570 PMCID: PMC4760178 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Mid-Mesozoic kalligrammatid lacewings (Neuroptera) entered the fossil record 165 million years ago (Ma) and disappeared 45 Ma later. Extant papilionoid butterflies (Lepidoptera) probably originated 80–70 Ma, long after kalligrammatids became extinct. Although poor preservation of kalligrammatid fossils previously prevented their detailed morphological and ecological characterization, we examine new, well-preserved, kalligrammatid fossils from Middle Jurassic and Early Cretaceous sites in northeastern China to unravel a surprising array of similar morphological and ecological features in these two, unrelated clades. We used polarized light and epifluorescence photography, SEM imaging, energy dispersive spectrometry and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry to examine kalligrammatid fossils and their environment. We mapped the evolution of specific traits onto a kalligrammatid phylogeny and discovered that these extinct lacewings convergently evolved wing eyespots that possibly contained melanin, and wing scales, elongate tubular proboscides, similar feeding styles, and seed–plant associations, similar to butterflies. Long-proboscid kalligrammatid lacewings lived in ecosystems with gymnosperm–insect relationships and likely accessed bennettitalean pollination drops and pollen. This system later was replaced by mid-Cretaceous angiosperms and their insect pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conrad C Labandeira
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, People's Republic of China Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA Department of Entomology and BEES Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Qiang Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, People's Republic of China State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institute, College of Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China Geoscience Museum, Shijiazhuang University of Economics, Shijiazhuang 050031, People's Republic of China
| | - Jorge A Santiago-Blay
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA Department of Crop and Agroenvironmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, PR 00681, USA
| | - Carol L Hotton
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA National Centre for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Antónia Monteiro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore Yale-NUS College, Singapore 138614, Singapore
| | - Yong-Jie Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, People's Republic of China
| | - Yulia Goreva
- Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - ChungKun Shih
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, People's Republic of China Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Sandra Siljeström
- Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA Department of Chemistry, Materials and Surfaces, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Borås 51115, Sweden Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - Tim R Rose
- Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - David L Dilcher
- Departments of Geology and Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, People's Republic of China
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10
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Wang Y, Liu X, Garzón‐Orduña IJ, Winterton SL, Yan Y, Aspöck U, Aspöck H, Yang D. Mitochondrial phylogenomics illuminates the evolutionary history of Neuropterida. Cladistics 2016; 33:617-636. [DOI: 10.1111/cla.12186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yuyu Wang
- Department of Entomology China Agricultural University Beijing 100193 China
- Department of Biological Sciences Vanderbilt University Nashville TN 37235 USA
| | - Xingyue Liu
- Department of Entomology China Agricultural University Beijing 100193 China
| | - Ivonne J. Garzón‐Orduña
- California Department of Food & Agriculture California State Collection of Arthropods 3294 Meadowview Rd Sacramento CA USA
| | - Shaun L. Winterton
- California Department of Food & Agriculture California State Collection of Arthropods 3294 Meadowview Rd Sacramento CA USA
| | - Yan Yan
- Department of Entomology China Agricultural University Beijing 100193 China
| | - Ulrike Aspöck
- Department of Entomology Natural History Museum Vienna Burgring 7 Vienna A‐1010 Austria
| | - Horst Aspöck
- Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine Medical Parasitology Medical University of Vienna Kinderspitalgasse 15 Vienna A‐1090 Austria
| | - Ding Yang
- Department of Entomology China Agricultural University Beijing 100193 China
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11
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Wang M, Rasnitsyn AP, Li H, Shih C, Sharkey MJ, Ren D. Phylogenetic analyses elucidate the inter-relationships of Pamphilioidea (Hymenoptera, Symphyta). Cladistics 2016; 32:239-260. [PMID: 34736302 DOI: 10.1111/cla.12129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The phylogeny of the superfamily Pamphilioidea is reconstructed using morphology and DNA sequence data of living and fossil taxa by employing two phylogenetic methods (maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference). Based on our results, the monophyly of Pamphilioidea and Pamphiliidae are corroborated, whereas two extinct families, Xyelydidae and Praesiricidae, are not monophyletic. Because members of Praesiricidae together with Megalodontes form a monophyletic group, we propose that the paraphyletic Praesiricidae is synonymized under Megalodontesidae (syn. nov.). The origin of Pamphilioidea is hypothesized to be as early as the Early Jurassic. To better understand morphological evolution in the early lineages of Pamphilioidea, ancestral states of the first flagellomere and the first and second abdominal terga are reconstructed on the morphology-based tree. In addition, three new genera (Medilyda, Brevilyda, Strenolyda) with five new species (Medilyda procera, M. distorta, Brevilyda provecta, Strenolyda marginalis and S. retrorsa) are described based on well-preserved xyelydid fossils from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of north-eastern China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing, 100048, China.,Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY, 40546-0091, USA
| | - Alexandr P Rasnitsyn
- Palaeontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 123 Profsoyuznayaul., Moscow, 117997, Russia.,Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Hu Li
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY, 40546-0091, USA.,Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Chungkun Shih
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Michael J Sharkey
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, S225 Agricultural Science Center North, Lexington, KY, 40546-0091, USA
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing, 100048, China
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12
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Lu XM, Zhang WW, Liu XY. New long-proboscid lacewings of the mid-Cretaceous provide insights into ancient plant-pollinator interactions. Sci Rep 2016; 6:25382. [PMID: 27149436 PMCID: PMC4857652 DOI: 10.1038/srep25382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2016] [Accepted: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Many insects with long-proboscid mouthparts are among the pollinators of seed plants. Several cases of the long-proboscid pollination mode are known between fossil insects (e.g., true flies, scorpionflies, and lacewings) and various extinct gymnosperm lineages, beginning in the Early Permian and increasing during the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. However, details on the morphology of lacewing proboscides and the relevant pollination habit are largely lacking. Here we report on three lacewing species that belong to two new genera and a described genus from mid-Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) amber of Myanmar. All these species possess relatively long proboscides, which are considered to be modified from maxillary and labial elements, probably functioning as a temporary siphon for feeding on nectar. Remarkably, these proboscides range from 0.4-1.0 mm in length and are attributed to the most diminutive ones among the contemporary long-proboscid insect pollinators. Further, they clearly differ from other long-proboscid lacewings which have a much longer siphon. The phylogenetic analysis indicates that these Burmese long-proboscid lacewings belong to the superfamily Psychopsoidea but cannot be placed into any known family. The present findings represent the first description of the mouthparts of long-proboscid lacewings preserved in amber and highlight the evolutionary diversification of the ancient plant-pollinator interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu-Mei Lu
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Wei-Wei Zhang
- Three Gorges Entomological Museum, P.O. Box 4680, Chongqing 400015, China
| | - Xing-Yue Liu
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
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13
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Dittmar K, Zhu Q, Hastriter MW, Whiting MF. On the probability of dinosaur fleas. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:9. [PMID: 26754250 PMCID: PMC4710018 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0568-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, a set of publications described flea fossils from Jurassic and Early Cretaceous geological strata in northeastern China, which were suggested to have parasitized feathered dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and early birds or mammals. In support of these fossils being fleas, a recent publication in BMC Evolutionary Biology described the extended abdomen of a female fossil specimen as due to blood feeding.We here comment on these findings, and conclude that the current interpretation of the evolutionary trajectory and ecology of these putative dinosaur fleas is based on appeal to probability, rather than evidence. Hence, their taxonomic positioning as fleas, or stem fleas, as well as their ecological classification as ectoparasites and blood feeders is not supported by currently available data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Dittmar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Cooke 109, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
- Graduate Program of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, 411 Cooke Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
| | - Qiyun Zhu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Cooke 109, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Michael W Hastriter
- Monte L. Bean Museum, Brigham Young University, 336 MLB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Michael F Whiting
- Department of Biology and M. L. Bean Museum, Brigham Young University, 4142 LSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
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Fang H, Ren D, Wang Y. Familial Clarification of Saucrosmylidae stat. nov. and New Saucrosmylids from Daohugou, China (Insecta, Neuroptera). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141048. [PMID: 26485027 PMCID: PMC4616384 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 10/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Backgound Saucrosmylids are characterized by the typically large body size, complicated venation and diverse wing markings, which were only discovered in Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, Ningcheng county, Inner Mongolia, China. Principal Findings Saucrosmylinae Ren, 2003, originally included as a subfamily in the Osmylidae, was transferred and elevated to family rank based on the definitive synapomorphic character. The updated definition of Saucrosmylidae stat. nov. was outlined in detail: presence of nygma and trichosors; diverse markings on membrane; complicated cross-veins; distal fusion of Sc and R1; expanded space between R1 and Rs having 2–7 rows of cells that should be a synapomorphic character of the family; proximal MP fork. And the previous misuses of Saucrosmylidae are also clarified. Furthermore, a new genus with a new species and an indeterminate species of Saucrosmylidae are described as Ulrikezza aspoeckae gen. et sp. nov. and Ulrikezza sp. from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. A key to genera of Saucrosmylidae is provided. Conclusions/Significance The intriguing group represents a particular lineage of Neuroptera in the Mesozoic Era. The familial status of Saucrosmylidae was firstly advanced that clarified the former incorrect citation and use of the family name. As an extinct clade, many species of the saucrosmylids were erected just based on a single fore- or hindwing, and it should be realized that providing more stable characters is necessary when describing new lacewing taxa just based on an isolated hindwing. It is vital for the systematics of Saucrosmylidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Fang
- Key Lab of Insect Evolution and Environmental Change, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Dong Ren
- Key Lab of Insect Evolution and Environmental Change, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yongjie Wang
- Key Lab of Insect Evolution and Environmental Change, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
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15
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Vinther
- Schools of Earth Sciences and Biological Sciences; University of Bristol; Bristol United Kingdom
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