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Loewen EJT, Balkwill MA, Mattioli J, Cockx P, Caicedo MV, Muehlenbachs K, Tappert R, Borkent A, Libke C, Engel MS, Somers C, McKellar RC. New Canadian amber deposit fills gap in fossil record near end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1762-1771.e3. [PMID: 38521062 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Amber preserves an exceptional record of tiny, soft-bodied organisms and chemical environmental signatures, elucidating the evolution of arthropod lineages and the diversity, ecology, and biogeochemistry of ancient ecosystems. However, globally, fossiliferous amber deposits are rare in the latest Cretaceous and surrounding the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction.1,2,3,4,5 This faunal gap limits our understanding of arthropod diversity and survival across the extinction boundary.2,6 Contrasting hypotheses propose that arthropods were either relatively unaffected by the K-Pg extinction or experienced a steady decline in diversity before the extinction event followed by rapid diversification in the Cenozoic.2,6 These hypotheses are primarily based on arthropod feeding traces on fossil leaves and time-calibrated molecular phylogenies, not direct observation of the fossil record.2,7 Here, we report a diverse amber assemblage from the Late Cretaceous (67.04 ± 0.16 Ma) of the Big Muddy Badlands, Canada. The new deposit fills a critical 16-million-year gap in the arthropod fossil record spanning the K-Pg mass extinction. Seven arthropod orders and at least 11 insect families have been recovered, making the Big Muddy amber deposit the most diverse arthropod assemblage near the K-Pg extinction. Amber chemistry and stable isotopes suggest the amber was produced by coniferous (Cupressaceae) trees in a subtropical swamp near remnants of the Western Interior Seaway. The unexpected abundance of ants from extant families and the virtual absence of arthropods from common, exclusively Cretaceous families suggests that Big Muddy amber may represent a yet unsampled Late Cretaceous environment and provides evidence of a faunal transition before the end of the Cretaceous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyssa J T Loewen
- Biology Department, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Pkwy, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada; Royal Saskatchewan Museum, 2340 Albert Street, Regina, SK S4P 2V7, Canada.
| | - Micheala A Balkwill
- Geology Department, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Pkwy, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - Júlia Mattioli
- Geotop & Département des sciences de la Terre et de l'atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Pierre Cockx
- Biology Department, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Pkwy, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada; Royal Saskatchewan Museum, 2340 Albert Street, Regina, SK S4P 2V7, Canada
| | - Maria Velez Caicedo
- Geology Department, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Pkwy, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - Karlis Muehlenbachs
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 116 St and 85 Ave, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
| | - Ralf Tappert
- Geology Department, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Art Borkent
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
| | - Caelan Libke
- Biology Department, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Pkwy, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada; Royal Saskatchewan Museum, 2340 Albert Street, Regina, SK S4P 2V7, Canada
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA; Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Óscar R. Benavides 5737, Callao 07006, Lima, Peru; Departamento de Entomología, Museo de Historia Natural, Av. Gral. Antonio Álvarez de Arenales 1256, Jesús María 15072, Lima, Peru
| | - Christopher Somers
- Biology Department, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Pkwy, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - Ryan C McKellar
- Biology Department, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Pkwy, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada; Royal Saskatchewan Museum, 2340 Albert Street, Regina, SK S4P 2V7, Canada; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 1450 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
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Tran NT, Engel MS, Nguyen LTP. A new species of Habrophorula from Vietnam and an updated key to species of the genus (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Zookeys 2024; 1197:261-272. [PMID: 38680634 PMCID: PMC11046086 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1197.118126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The rare bee genus Habrophorula Lieftinck, 1974 is recorded for the first time from Vietnam. The genus is represented by a new species, Habrophorulabelladeceptrix Tran, Engel & Nguyen, sp. nov., from Cao Bang Province and can be most easily confused with H.nigripes Wu from China. The species is most easily differentiated by the unique form of the male terminalia but can also be distinguished by differences in integumental and setal coloration. A revised key is provided to the species of the genus. Females of the new species were collected at flowers of Saurauiaroxburghii Wall. and Saurauianapaulensis DC. (Actinidiaceae); males were collected at flowers of Lantanacamara L. (Verbenaceae).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngat Thi Tran
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024, USA
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | - Lien Thi Phuong Nguyen
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam
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Mizumoto N, Hellemans S, Engel MS, Bourguignon T, Buček A. Extinct and extant termites reveal the fidelity of behavior fossilization in amber. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2308922121. [PMID: 38442141 PMCID: PMC10963005 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308922121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Fossils encompassing multiple individuals provide rare direct evidence of behavioral interactions among extinct organisms. However, the fossilization process can alter the spatial relationship between individuals and hinder behavioral reconstruction. Here, we report a Baltic amber inclusion preserving a female-male pair of the extinct termite species Electrotermes affinis. The head-to-abdomen contact in the fossilized pair resembles the tandem courtship behavior of extant termites, although their parallel body alignment differs from the linear alignment typical of tandem runs. To solve this inconsistency, we simulated the first stage of amber formation, the immobilization of captured organisms, by exposing living termite tandems to sticky surfaces. We found that the posture of the fossilized pair matches trapped tandems and differs from untrapped tandems. Thus, the fossilized pair likely is a tandem running pair, representing the direct evidence of the mating behavior of extinct termites. Furthermore, by comparing the postures of partners on a sticky surface and in the amber inclusion, we estimated that the male likely performed the leader role in the fossilized tandem. Our results demonstrate that past behavioral interactions can be reconstructed despite the spatial distortion of body poses during fossilization. Our taphonomic approach demonstrates how certain behaviors can be inferred from fossil occurrences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuaki Mizumoto
- Evolutionary Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa904-0495, Japan
- Computational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa904-0495, Japan
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL36849
| | - Simon Hellemans
- Evolutionary Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa904-0495, Japan
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY10024-5192
| | - Thomas Bourguignon
- Evolutionary Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa904-0495, Japan
| | - Aleš Buček
- Evolutionary Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa904-0495, Japan
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České BudějoviceCZ-37005, Czech Republic
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Thakur H, Agarwal S, Buček A, Hradecký J, Sehadová H, Mathur V, Togaev U, van de Kamp T, Hamann E, Liu RH, Verma KS, Li HF, Sillam-Dussès D, Engel MS, Šobotník J. Defensive glands in Stylotermitidae (Blattodea, Isoptera). Arthropod Struct Dev 2024; 79:101346. [PMID: 38520874 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2024.101346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
The large abundance of termites is partially achieved by their defensive abilities. Stylotermitidae represented by a single extant genus, Stylotermes, is a member of a termite group Neoisoptera that encompasses 83% of termite species and 94% of termite genera and is characterized by the presence of the frontal gland. Within Neoisoptera, Stylotermitidae represents a species-poor sister lineage of all other groups. We studied the structure of the frontal, labral and labial glands in soldiers and workers of Stylotermes faveolus, and the composition of the frontal gland secretion in S. faveolus and Stylotermes halumicus. We show that the frontal gland is a small active secretory organ in soldiers and workers. It produces a cocktail of monoterpenes in soldiers, and some of these monoterpenes and unidentified proteins in workers. The labral and labial glands are developed similarly to other termite species and contribute to defensive activities (labral in both castes, labial in soldiers) or to the production of digestive enzymes (labial in workers). Our results support the importance of the frontal gland in the evolution of Neoisoptera. Toxic, irritating and detectable monoterpenes play defensive and pheromonal functions and are likely critical novelties contributing to the ecological success of these termites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himanshu Thakur
- Department of Entomology, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Surbhi Agarwal
- Animal Plant Interactions Lab, Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara College, Benito Juarez Marg, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi, India
| | - Aleš Buček
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jaromír Hradecký
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Sehadová
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Branišovská 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Vartika Mathur
- Animal Plant Interactions Lab, Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara College, Benito Juarez Marg, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi, India
| | - Ulugbek Togaev
- Academy of Science of Uzbekistan, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| | - Thomas van de Kamp
- Institute for Photon Science and Synchrotron Radiation (IPS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany; Laboratory for Applications of Synchrotron Radiation (LAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kaiserstr. 12, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Elias Hamann
- Institute for Photon Science and Synchrotron Radiation (IPS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Ren-Han Liu
- Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402202, Taiwan
| | - Kuldeep S Verma
- Department of Entomology, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Hou-Feng Li
- Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402202, Taiwan
| | - David Sillam-Dussès
- University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, LEEC, UR 4443, Villetaneuse, France.
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024-5192, USA
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
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Guo D, Engel MS, Shih C, Ren D. New stenurothripid thrips from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Thysanoptera, Stenurothripidae). Zookeys 2024; 1192:197-212. [PMID: 38425444 PMCID: PMC10902785 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1192.117754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Hitherto, only two species of the thysanopteran suborder Terebrantia have been reported from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (Myanmar). This is here expanded through the discovery of two new genera and species, described and figured as Parallelothripsseparatusgen. et sp. nov. and Didymothripsabdominalisgen. et sp. nov., both of the family Stenurothripidae. Both taxa have key apomorphies of the Stenurothripidae, allowing for a confident assignment as to family. Both species have characteristic comb-like anteromarginal setae, which are discussed along with structural differences between the two sexes. Cycad pollen was found on the thrips' bodies, providing further evidence that Thysanoptera were pollinators of gymnosperms during the mid-Cretaceous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Guo
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | - Chungkun Shih
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
- Departamento de Entomología, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Arenales 1256 Jesús María, Lima, Peru
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
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Abstract
Female mosquitoes are among the most notorious blood-feeding insects, sometimes causing severe allergic responses or vectoring a variety of microbial pathogens.1,2 Hematophagy in insects is likely a feeding shift from plant fluids, with the piercing-sucking mouthparts serving as suitable exaptation for piercing vertebrates' skin. The origins of these habits are mired in an often-poor fossil record for many hematophagous lineages,3,4 particularly those of sufficient age, as to give insights into the paleoecological context in which blood feeding first appeared or even to arrive at gross estimates as to when such shifts have occurred. This is certainly the case for mosquitoes, a clade estimated molecularly to date back to the Jurassic.5 The known Mesozoic Culicidae are Late Cretaceous, assigned to the modern Anophelinae or to the extinct Burmaculicinae, sister to other Culicidae, all with mouthparts of a modern type. Here, we report the discovery, in Lower Cretaceous amber from Lebanon, of two conspecific male mosquitoes unexpectedly with piercing mouthparts, armed with denticulate sharp mandibles and laciniae. These male fossils were likely hematophagous. They represent a lineage that diverged earlier than Burmaculicinae, extending the definitive occurrence of the family into the Early Cretaceous and serving to narrow the ghost-lineage gap for mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dany Azar
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; Lebanese University, Faculty of Science II, Natural Sciences Department, Fanar - El-Matn, P.O. Box 90656 Jdeidet, Beirut, Lebanon.
| | - André Nel
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Diying Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 75005 Paris, France; Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA; Museum at Prairiefire, 5801 West 135(th) Street, Overland Park, KS 66223, USA
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Engel MS. Grand challenges in insect systematics. Front Insect Sci 2023; 3:1327005. [PMID: 38469463 PMCID: PMC10926366 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1327005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, United States
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
- Museum at Prairiefire, Overland Park, KS, United States
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Yang H, Engel MS, Shih C, Song F, Zhao Y, Ren D, Gao T. Independent wing reductions and losses among stick and leaf insects (Phasmatodea), supported by new Cretaceous fossils in amber. BMC Biol 2023; 21:210. [PMID: 37807035 PMCID: PMC10561512 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01720-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phasmatodea (stick and leaf insects) play a central role on the debate regarding wing reduction and loss, and its wings are putative reacquisition from secondarily wingless ancestors based solely on extant species. A pivotal taxon in this respect is the species-poor Timematodea, consisting of approximately 21 wingless extant species, which form the sister group of all remaining winged or wingless stick and leaf insects, the Euphasmatodea. RESULTS Herein, the new fossils of Timematodea from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber are reported, with winged and wingless species co-occurring. The palaeogeographic distributions of all fossils of Holophasmatodea are summarized, showing their wide paleo-distributions. The phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters confirms the earliest-diverging lineage of winged Breviala cretacea gen. et sp. nov. in Timematodea, and the possible relationships among all families of Holophasmatodea. These are critical for the reconstruction of patterns of wing evolution in early Phasmatodea. CONCLUSIONS The new fossils suggest that Timematodea once had wings, at least during the mid-Cretaceous. The palaeogeographic occurrences imply that Timematodea probably have been widely distributed since at least the Jurassic. The phylogenetic analysis with the ancestral-state reconstruction of wings indicates that the common ancestors of Holophasmatodea were winged, the reductions and losses of wings among Timematodea and Euphasmatodea have occurred independently since at least the Cretaceous, and the reduction or loss of the forewing earlier than the hind wings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongru Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA
| | - Chungkun Shih
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA
| | - Fan Song
- Department of Entomology MOA Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Yisheng Zhao
- Department of Entomology MOA Key Lab of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Taiping Gao
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China.
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Li YD, Engel MS, Tihelka E, Cai C. Phylogenomics of weevils revisited: data curation and modelling compositional heterogeneity. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230307. [PMID: 37727076 PMCID: PMC10509570 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Weevils represent one of the most prolific radiations of beetles and the most diverse group of herbivores on land. The phylogeny of weevils (Curculionoidea) has received extensive attention, and a largely satisfactory framework for their interfamilial relationships has been established. However, a recent phylogenomic study of Curculionoidea based on anchored hybrid enrichment (AHE) data yielded an abnormal placement for the family Belidae (strongly supported as sister to Nemonychidae + Anthribidae). Here we reanalyse the genome-scale AHE data for Curculionoidea using various models of molecular evolution and data filtering methods to mitigate anticipated systematic errors and reduce compositional heterogeneity. When analysed with the infinite mixture model CAT-GTR or using appropriately filtered datasets, Belidae are always recovered as sister to the clade (Attelabidae, (Caridae, (Brentidae, Curculionidae))), which is congruent with studies based on morphology and other sources of molecular data. Although the relationships of the 'higher Curculionidae' remain challenging to resolve, we provide a consistent and robust backbone phylogeny of weevils. Our extensive analyses emphasize the significance of data curation and modelling across-site compositional heterogeneity in phylogenomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Da Li
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
| | - Erik Tihelka
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Chenyang Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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Engel MS, Rasmussen C, Ayala R, de Oliveira FF. Stingless bee classification and biology (Hymenoptera, Apidae): a review, with an updated key to genera and subgenera. Zookeys 2023; 1172:239-312. [PMID: 37547181 PMCID: PMC10401200 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1172.104944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Stingless bees (Meliponini) are a ubiquitous and diverse element of the pantropical melittofauna, and have significant cultural and economic importance. This review outlines their diversity, and provides identification keys based on external morphology, brief accounts for each of the recognized genera, and an updated checklist of all living and fossil species. In total there are currently 605 described extant species in 45 extant genera, and a further 18 extinct species in nine genera, seven of which are extinct. A new fossil genus, Adactylurina Engel, gen. nov., is also described for a species in Miocene amber from Ethiopia. In addition to the systematic review, the biology of stingless bees is summarized with an emphasis on aspects related to their nesting biology and architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79
| | | | | | - Favízia F. de Oliveira
- Department of Agroecology, Section for Entomology and Plant Pathology, Forsøgsvej 1, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark
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Yin Y, Shih C, Engel MS, Ren D. New Earwigs from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Northeastern China (Dermaptera). Insects 2023; 14:614. [PMID: 37504620 PMCID: PMC10380475 DOI: 10.3390/insects14070614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Two new genera and species of Dermaptera are described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China: Applanatiforceps angustus gen. et sp. nov. in the archidermapteran family Protodiplatyidae, and Ekpagloderma gracilentum gen et sp. nov. in the eodermapteran family Semenoviolidae. Applanatiforceps shares the typical characters of the extinct suborder Archidermaptera (e.g., pentamerous meta tarsi, filiform and multimerous cerci) and externalized ovipositor. The family identity of the Protodiplatyidae can be further distinguished by comparing this new genus with other genera of the Protodiplatyidae. As a result of its large compound eyes, tegmina without venation, body sparsely setose, legs rather short and slender, and shape of the veinless tegmina, Ekpagloderma is classified in the subfamily Aglyptodermatinae. Ekpagloderma not only has the typical features of the Aglyptodermatinae, but also exhibits a more primitive slender segmented cerci, which is different from all other genera of Eodermaptera. In fact, the diversity of Eodermaptera as known today indicates some of the challenges in understanding the suborder and whether or not it is monophyletic as historically construed, or if the separation of Turanodermaptera is justified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Yin
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Chungkun Shih
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
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Wang YH, Luan YX, Luo JY, Men Y, Engel MS, Damgaard J, Khila A, Chen PP, Figueiredo Moreira FF, Rafael JA, Xie Q. 300 Million years of coral treaders (Insecta: Heteroptera: Hermatobatidae) back to the ocean in the phylogenetic context of Arthropoda. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230855. [PMID: 37357866 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Among hundreds of insect families, Hermatobatidae (commonly known as coral treaders) is one of the most unique. They are small, wingless predaceous bugs in the suborder Heteroptera. Adults are almost black in colour, measuring about 5 mm in body length and 3 mm in width. Thirteen species are known from tropical coral reefs or rocky shores, but their origin and evolutionary adaptation to their unusual marine habitat were unexplored. We report here the genome and metagenome of Hermatobates lingyangjiaoensis, hitherto known only from its type locality in the South China Sea. We further reconstructed the evolutionary history and origin of these marine bugs in the broader context of Arthropoda. The dated phylogeny indicates that Hexapoda diverged from their marine sister groups approximately 498 Ma and that Hermatobatidae originated 192 Ma, indicating that they returned to an oceanic life some 300 Myr after their ancestors became terrestrial. Their origin is consistent with the recovery of tropical reef ecosystems after the end-Triassic mass extinction, which might have provided new and open niches for them to occupy and thrive. Our analyses also revealed that both the genome changes and the symbiotic bacteria might have contributed to adaptations necessary for life in the sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Hui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingangxi Road, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, China
| | - Yun-Xia Luan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 55 West of Zhongshan Avenue, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Jiu-Yang Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingangxi Road, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, China
| | - Yu Men
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingangxi Road, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansa, 1501 Crestline Drive - Suite 140, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Jakob Damgaard
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, Zoological Museum, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Abderrahman Khila
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, CNRS UMR 5242, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46, allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Ping-Ping Chen
- Netherlands Centre of Biodiversity Naturalis, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - José A Rafael
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, INPA, Caixa Postal 478, 69011-970 Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Qiang Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingangxi Road, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, China
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Nguyen LTP, Nguyen AD, Tran NT, Nguyen MT, Engel MS. The potter wasp genus Allorhynchium from Vietnam, with descriptions of three new species and a new country record (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae). Zookeys 2023; 1166:1-32. [PMID: 37323476 PMCID: PMC10265496 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1166.102674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Species of the potter wasp genus Allorhynchium van der Vecht (Eumeninae: Odynerini) occurring in Vietnam are presented. Seven species have been recorded from Vietnam. Of them, three species are described as new to science: Allorhynchiumlatum Nguyen, Tran & MT Nguyen, sp. nov., A.moerum Nguyen & AD Nguyen, sp. nov., and A.setosum Nguyen & Engel, sp. nov., and one species, A.argentatum (Fabricius, 1804), is recorded from Vietnam for the first time. An updated key to the Oriental species of the genus is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lien Thi Phuong Nguyen
- Insect Ecology Department, Institute of Ecology & Biological Resources (IEBR), Vietnam Academy of Science & Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamVietnam Academy of Science & TechnologyHanoiVietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science & Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamUniversity of Science and TechnologyHanoiVietnam
| | - Anh D. Nguyen
- Insect Ecology Department, Institute of Ecology & Biological Resources (IEBR), Vietnam Academy of Science & Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamVietnam Academy of Science & TechnologyHanoiVietnam
| | - Ngat Thi Tran
- Insect Ecology Department, Institute of Ecology & Biological Resources (IEBR), Vietnam Academy of Science & Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamVietnam Academy of Science & TechnologyHanoiVietnam
| | - Manh Thanh Nguyen
- Insect Ecology Department, Institute of Ecology & Biological Resources (IEBR), Vietnam Academy of Science & Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamVietnam Academy of Science & TechnologyHanoiVietnam
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, 10024-5192 New York, USAAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkUnited States of America
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, 66045-4415 Kansas, USAUniversity of KansasLawrenceUnited States of America
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Chakraborty A, Šobotník J, Votýpková K, Hradecký J, Stiblik P, Synek J, Bourguignon T, Baldrian P, Engel MS, Novotný V, Odriozola I, Větrovský T. Impact of Wood Age on Termite Microbial Assemblages. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0036123. [PMID: 37067424 PMCID: PMC10231148 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00361-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The decomposition of wood and detritus is challenging to most macroscopic organisms due to the recalcitrant nature of lignocellulose. Moreover, woody plants often protect themselves by synthesizing toxic or nocent compounds which infuse their tissues. Termites are essential wood decomposers in warmer terrestrial ecosystems and, as such, they have to cope with high concentrations of plant toxins in wood. In this paper, we evaluated the influence of wood age on the gut microbial (bacterial and fungal) communities associated with the termites Reticulitermes flavipes (Rhinotermitidae) (Kollar, 1837) and Microcerotermes biroi (Termitidae) (Desneux, 1905). We confirmed that the secondary metabolite concentration decreased with wood age. We identified a core microbial consortium maintained in the gut of R. flavipes and M. biroi and found that its diversity and composition were not altered by the wood age. Therefore, the concentration of secondary metabolites had no effect on the termite gut microbiome. We also found that both termite feeding activities and wood age affect the wood microbiome. Whether the increasing relative abundance of microbes with termite activities is beneficial to the termites is unknown and remains to be investigated. IMPORTANCE Termites can feed on wood thanks to their association with their gut microbes. However, the current understanding of termites as holobiont is limited. To our knowledge, no studies comprehensively reveal the influence of wood age on the termite-associated microbial assemblage. The wood of many tree species contains high concentrations of plant toxins that can vary with their age and may influence microbes. Here, we studied the impact of Norway spruce wood of varying ages and terpene concentrations on the microbial communities associated with the termites Reticulitermes flavipes (Rhinotermitidae) and Microcerotermes biroi (Termitidae). We performed a bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS2 metabarcoding study to reveal the microbial communities associated with R. flavipes and M. biroi and their impact on shaping the wood microbiome. We noted that a stable core microbiome in the termites was unaltered by the feeding substrate, while termite activities influenced the wood microbiome, suggesting that plant secondary metabolites have negligible effects on the termite gut microbiome. Hence, our study shed new insights into the termite-associated microbial assemblage under the influence of varying amounts of terpene content in wood and provides a groundwork for future investigations for developing symbiont-mediated termite control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Chakraborty
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Votýpková
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jaromír Hradecký
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Stiblik
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Synek
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Bourguignon
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Petr Baldrian
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michael S. Engel
- American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Vojtěch Novotný
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Iñaki Odriozola
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Větrovský
- EVA 4.0 Unit, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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15
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Peña-Kairath C, Delclòs X, Álvarez-Parra S, Peñalver E, Engel MS, Ollerton J, Peris D. Insect pollination in deep time. Trends Ecol Evol 2023:S0169-5347(23)00062-9. [PMID: 37062597 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Inferring insect pollination from compression fossils and amber inclusions is difficult because of a lack of consensus on defining an insect pollinator and the challenge of recognizing this ecological relationship in deep time. We propose a conceptual definition for such insects and an operational classification into pollinator or presumed pollinator. Using this approach, we identified 15 insect families that include fossil pollinators and show that pollination relationships have existed since at least the Upper Jurassic (~163 Ma). Insects prior to this can only be classified as presumed pollinators. This gives a more nuanced insight into the origin and evolution of an ecological relationship that is vital to the establishment, composition and conservation of modern terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanza Peña-Kairath
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), c/Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Xavier Delclòs
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), c/Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergio Álvarez-Parra
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), c/Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enrique Peñalver
- CN Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, CSIC, c/Cirilo Amorós 42, 46004, Valencia, Spain
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Jeff Ollerton
- Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology, University of Northampton, NN1 5PH, UK; Kunming Institute of Botany, Kunming, China
| | - David Peris
- Institut Botànic de Barcelona (CSIC-Ajuntament de Barcelona), Passeig del Migdia s/n, 08038, Barcelona, Spain.
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Tran NT, Engel MS, Nguyen CQ, Tran DD, Nguyen LTP. The bee genus Anthidiellum in Vietnam: descriptions of five new species and the first male of Anthidiellum coronum (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae). Zookeys 2023; 1144:171-196. [DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1144.98644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The Vietnamese fauna of bees in the Anthidiellum Cockerell (Megachilinae, Anthidiini) is reviewed. Seven species are recognized, representing two subgenera. Five new species are described and figured as: Anthidiellum (Clypanthidium) nahang Tran, Engel & Nguyen, sp. nov., A. (Pycnanthidium) ayun Tran, Engel & Nguyen, sp. nov., A. (P.) chumomray Tran, Engel & Nguyen, sp. nov., A. (P.) flavaxilla Tran, Engel & Nguyen, sp. nov., and A. (P.) cornu Tran, Engel & Nguyen, sp. nov. from the northern and central highlands of Vietnam. Two previously described species are newly recorded for the fauna: A. (P.) carinatum (Wu) and A. (P.) coronum (Wu), with the male of the latter species described and illustrated for the first time. An identification key is provided for all species of Anthidiellum occurring in Vietnam.
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Abstract
While Mesozoic, Paleogene, and Neogene insect faunas greatly resemble the modern one, the Paleozoic fauna provides unique insights into key innovations in insect evolution, such as the origin of wings and modifications of postembryonic development including holometaboly. Deep-divergence estimates suggest that the majority of contemporary insect orders originated in the Late Paleozoic, but these estimates reflect divergences between stem groups of each lineage rather than the later appearance of the crown groups. The fossil record shows the initial radiations of the extant hyperdiverse clades during the Early Permian, as well as the specialized fauna present before the End Permian mass extinction. This review summarizes the recent discoveries related to the documented diversity of Paleozoic hexapods, as well as current knowledge about what has actually been verified from fossil evidence as it relates to postembryonic development and the morphology of different body parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Prokop
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - André Nel
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France;
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Lawrence, Kansas, USA;
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
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Sillam-Dussès D, Jandák V, Stiblik P, Delattre O, Chouvenc T, Balvín O, Cvačka J, Soulet D, Synek J, Brothánek M, Jiříček O, Engel MS, Bourguignon T, Šobotník J. Alarm communication predates eusociality in termites. Commun Biol 2023; 6:83. [PMID: 36681783 PMCID: PMC9867704 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04438-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Termites (Blattodea: Isoptera) have evolved specialized defensive strategies for colony protection. Alarm communication enables workers to escape threats while soldiers are recruited to the source of disturbance. Here, we study the vibroacoustic and chemical alarm communication in the wood roach Cryptocercus and in 20 termite species including seven of the nine termite families, all life-types, and all feeding and nesting habits. Our multidisciplinary approach shows that vibratory alarm signals represent an ethological synapomorphy of termites and Cryptocercus. In contrast, chemical alarms have evolved independently in several cockroach groups and at least twice in termites. Vibroacoustic alarm signaling patterns are the most complex in Neoisoptera, in which they are often combined with chemical signals. The alarm characters correlate to phylogenetic position, food type and hardness, foraging area size, and nesting habits. Overall, species of Neoisoptera have developed the most sophisticated communication system amongst termites, potentially contributing to their ecological success.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Sillam-Dussès
- University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology UR4443, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Vojtěch Jandák
- Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, 166 27, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Stiblik
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Olivier Delattre
- University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology UR4443, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Thomas Chouvenc
- Entomology and Nematology Department, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA
| | - Ondřej Balvín
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Cvačka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 166 10, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Delphine Soulet
- University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology UR4443, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Jiří Synek
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Brothánek
- Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, 166 27, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Jiříček
- Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, 166 27, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive-Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, 66045, USA.
| | - Thomas Bourguignon
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Jan Šobotník
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic.
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Zhang W, Shih C, Engel MS, Ren D. Cretaceous lophocoronids with short proboscis and retractable female genitalia provide the earliest evidence for their feeding and oviposition habits. Cladistics 2022; 38:684-701. [PMID: 35758057 DOI: 10.1111/cla.12511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
We describe two new species of Lophocoronidae: Acanthocorona hedida Zhang, Shih and Engel sp. n. and Acanthocorona venulosa Zhang, Shih and Engel sp. n., and an undetermined specimen from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. Phylogenetic analysis of basal lepidopteran lineages, including three extinct families, was undertaken. The analysis supported monophyly of Glossata although internal relationships remain controversial. Acanthocorona and Lophocorona form a monophyletic group. It is likely that short and simply structured proboscides of Acanthocorona were used to sip water droplets, pollination drops from gymnosperms, nectar from early flowers, or sap from injured leaves. Both retracted and extended ovipositors are preserved in the material reported here, revealing their morphology and indicating that these Cretaceous lophocoronids inserted eggs into the tissues of their host plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiting Zhang
- Institute of Paleontology, Hebei GEO University, 136 Huaiandonglu, Shijiazhuang, 050031, China.,State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Chungkun Shih
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing, 100048, China.,Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, 20013-7012, USA
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, 66045, USA
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing, 100048, China
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Vit P, van der Meulen J, Diaz M, Pedro SR, Esperança I, Zakaria R, Beckh G, Maza F, Meccia G, Engel MS. Impact of genus ( Geotrigona, Melipona, Scaptotrigona) in the targeted 1H-NMR organic profile, and authenticity test by interphase emulsion of honey processed in cerumen pots by stingless bees in Ecuador. Curr Res Food Sci 2022; 6:100386. [PMID: 36846470 PMCID: PMC9947262 DOI: 10.1016/j.crfs.2022.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The biodiversity of Ecuadorian stingless bees is almost 200 species. Traditional pot-honey harvest in Ecuador is mostly done from nests of the three genera selected here Geotrigona Moure, 1943, Melipona Illiger, 1806, and Scaptotrigona Moure, 1942. The 20 pot-honey samples collected from cerumen pots and three ethnic honeys "abeja de tierra", "bermejo", and "cushillomishki" were analyzed for qualitative and quantitative targeted 1H-NMR honey profiling, and for the Honey Authenticity Test by Interphase Emulsion (HATIE). Extensive data of targeted organic compounds (41 parameters) were identified, quantified, and described. The three honey types were compared by ANOVA. Amino acids, ethanol, hydroxymethylfurfural, aliphatic organic acids, sugars, and markers of botanical origin. The number of phases observed with the HATIE were one in Scaptotrigona and three in Geotrigona and Melipona honeys. Acetic acid (19.60 ± 1.45 g/kg) and lactic acid (24.30 ± 1.65 g/kg) were particularly high in Geotrigona honey (in contrast to 1.3 g/kg acetic acid and 1.6 g/kg lactic acid in Melipona and Scaptotrigona), and with the lowest fructose + glucose (18.39 ± 1.68) g/100g honey compared to Melipona (52.87 ± 1.75) and Scaptotrigona (52.17 ± 0.60). Three local honeys were tested using PCA (Principal Component Analysis), two were assigned with a correct declared bee origin, but "bermejo" was not a Melipona and grouped with the Scaptotrigona cluster. However after HCA (Hierarchical Cluster Analysis) the three honeys were positioned in the Melipona-Scaptotrigona cluster. This research supports targeted 1H-NMR-based profiling of pot-honey metabolomics approach for multi-parameter visualization of organic compounds, as well as descriptive and pertained multivariate statistics (HCA and PCA) to discriminate the stingless bee genus in a set of Geotrigona, Melipona and Scaptotrigona honey types. The NMR characterization of Ecuadorian honey produced by stingless bees emphasizes the need for regulatory norms. A final note on stingless bee markers in pot-honey metabolites which should be screened for those that may extract phylogenetic signals from nutritional traits of honey. Scaptotrigona vitorum honey revealed biosurfactant activity in the HATIE, originating a fingerprint Honey Biosurfactant Test (HBT) for the genus in this set of pot-honeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Vit
- Food Science Department, Faculty of Pharmacy and Bioanalysis, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela
| | | | - Maria Diaz
- Quality Services International GmbH, 28199, Bremen, Germany
| | - Silvia R.M. Pedro
- Biology Department, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Isabelle Esperança
- Institute of Chemistry, Universidad Federal de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21945970, Brazil
| | - Rahimah Zakaria
- Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Malaysia
| | - Gudrun Beckh
- Quality Services International GmbH, 28199, Bremen, Germany
| | - Favian Maza
- Faculty of Agricultural and Livestock Sciences, Universidad Técnica de Machala, Machala, El Oro province, Ecuador
| | - Gina Meccia
- Research Institute, Faculty of Pharmacy and Bioanalysis, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive-Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY, 10024, USA
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21
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Jouault C, Engel MS, Legendre F, Huang D, Grandcolas P, Nel A. Incrementing and clarifying the diversity and early evolution of termites (Blattodea: Isoptera). Zool J Linn Soc 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The past diversity of Isoptera is relatively poorly documented. Many early-diverging families are only represented today by relicts of their Mesozoic and Cenozoic richness. Therefore, the onset of their evolutionary history and the transitions between families, or even between subsocial and eusocial ways of life, remain difficult to decipher and require additional fossil occurrences. Here, we report the oldest worker/pseudergate trapped in amber and a new Mastotermitidae, both from Hkamti amber. We document a diverse assemblage of species representing early-diverging families from the ‘Mid’-Cretaceous of Myanmar, including two new genera and four new species in as many different genera: Anisotermes bourguignoni sp. nov., Longitermes pulcher gen. et sp. nov., Magnifitermes krishnai gen. et sp. nov. and Mastotermes myanmarensis sp. nov. These descriptions provide significant morphological evidence to discuss the placement of the genus Anisotermes, confidently place the new genera and confirm the monophyly of Mastotermitidae. The diversity of Cretaceous isopterans, in light of the biology of their extant representatives, is used to discuss palaeoecological implications and highlights the radiation of early diverged Isoptera in the complex Cretaceous ecosystem. The validity of the species Meiatermes cretacicus is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corentin Jouault
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB) Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles , CP50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris , France
- Université de Rennes, CNRS, Géosciences Rennes , UMR 6118, Rennes, F-35000 , France
- CNRS, UMR 5554 Institut des Sciences de l’évolution de Montpellier , Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, Montpellier, 34095 , France
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History , Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY, 10024 , USA
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas , 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, Lawrence, KS, 66045 , USA
| | - Frédéric Legendre
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB) Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles , CP50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris , France
| | - Diying Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences , 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008 , PR China
| | - Philippe Grandcolas
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB) Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles , CP50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris , France
| | - André Nel
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB) Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles , CP50, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris , France
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22
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Wang J, Zhang W, Engel MS, Sheng X, Shih C, Ren D. Early evolution of wing scales prior to the rise of moths and butterflies. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3808-3814.e2. [PMID: 35998638 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Although scales are a defining and conspicuous feature of moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera),1-3 their earliest evolution predates the group but is shrouded by a dearth of fossil evidence. Herein, we report two new species in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, representing lineages closely related to Lepidoptera: one represents the extinct Tarachoptera, with dense scales on the fore- and hindwings, while the other is an early lineage of caddisflies, with a hindwing covered by a single layer of angustifoliate scales. A novel phylogenetic analysis of 174 morphological characters and 73 extant and fossil representatives of Mecopterida demonstrates a monophyletic origin of scales in the common ancestor of Tarachoptera, Trichoptera, and Lepidoptera; that Tarachoptera are monophyletic but their scale morphology is plesiomorphic for the whole group; and that scales were lost early in caddisfly evolution before reappearing multiple times within the clade. Collectively, these fossils provide clarity into the origin and early evolution of scales before their diversification among the moths and butterflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajia Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Weiting Zhang
- Institute of Paleontology, Hebei GEO University, 136 Huaiandonglu, Shijiazhuang 050031, China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive, Suite 140, Lawrence, KS 66045-4415, USA; Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
| | - Xianyong Sheng
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Chungkun Shih
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China; Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China.
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23
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Perrichot V, Boudinot BE, Engel MS, Xu C, Bojarski B, Szwedo J. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Miocene Ethiopian amber: filling gaps in the geological record of African terrestrial biota. Zool J Linn Soc 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The Early Miocene (16–23 Mya) amber of Ethiopia constitutes a new source of fossil ants for Africa, where they are otherwise poorly documented. Here we report a diversified assemblage of six subfamilies and at least 19 genera that are still predominantly alive in the Afrotropics today. In this first account, a particular reference is made to the subfamily Dolichoderinae, with the description of two new species: Technomyrmex svojtkai Perrichot & Engel sp. nov. and Ravavy goldmani Boudinot & Perrichot sp. nov. The first is illustrated and described based on synchrotron-radiation microcomputed tomography, and the second represents the first fossil record for the tribe Bothriomyrmecini and Ravavy, a Malagasy and Afrotropical genus that was hitherto monotypic. The ant composition in Ethiopian amber is congruent with the global pattern emerging across ants and showing a Neogene diversification almost exclusively within extant genera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Perrichot
- Géosciences Rennes - UMR 6118 , Université de Rennes, CNRS Rennes , France
| | - Brendon E Boudinot
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung , Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Erberstraße, Jena , Germany
- University of California, Davis , Davis, California , USA
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas , Lawrence, Kansas , USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History , New York, New York , USA
| | - Chunpeng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Nanjing , China
| | - Błażej Bojarski
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Entomology and Museum of Amber Inclusions, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk , Gdansk , Poland
| | - Jacek Szwedo
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Entomology and Museum of Amber Inclusions, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk , Gdansk , Poland
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24
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Peng Y, Jiang R, Shi C, Long X, Engel MS, Wang S. A New Subgenus and Species of Priochirus from Mid-Cretaceous Kachin Amber (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Osoriinae). Insects 2022; 13:insects13060513. [PMID: 35735850 PMCID: PMC9224542 DOI: 10.3390/insects13060513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
As one of the largest families of beetles (Coleoptera), the Staphylinidae (rove beetles and their relatives) are rich not only in extant species but also in a comparatively robust fossil record. Despite this preponderance of available fossil material, fossils of the diverse subfamily Osoriinae remain rare. Here, we describe a new ososriine species, Priochirus trisclerite sp. nov., from the mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar. The new specimen is similar to the only other definitive fossil of the genus, Priochirus thayerae Yamamoto 2019, and both are placed in the extinct subgenus Eopriochirus subgen. nov. The new species differs noticeably in a number of morphological details in relation to the submentum, gular sutures and protibial crenulae. The new fossil provides further evidence for understanding the radiation of staphylinoid beetles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Peng
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China; (Y.P.); (C.S.); (X.L.)
| | - Rixin Jiang
- The Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of Mountainous Region, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China;
| | - Chao Shi
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China; (Y.P.); (C.S.); (X.L.)
| | - Xiaoxuan Long
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China; (Y.P.); (C.S.); (X.L.)
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Natural History Museum and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA;
| | - Shuo Wang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China; (Y.P.); (C.S.); (X.L.)
- Correspondence:
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25
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Álvarez-Parra S, Peñalver E, Delclòs X, Engel MS. A braconid wasp (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from the Lower Cretaceous amber of San Just, eastern Iberian Peninsula. Zookeys 2022; 1103:65-78. [PMID: 36761791 PMCID: PMC9848867 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1103.83650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Braconid parasitoid wasps are a widely diversified group today, while their fossil record from the Mesozoic is currently poorly known. Here, we describe Utrillabraconelectropteron Álvarez-Parra & Engel, gen. et sp. nov., from the upper Albian (Lower Cretaceous) amber of San Just in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. The holotype specimen is incomplete, although the forewing and hind wing venation are well preserved. The new taxon is assigned to the subfamily †Protorhyssalinae (Braconidae) and, based on characteristics of the wing venation, seems to be closely related to Protorhyssalusgoldmani Basibuyuk & Quicke, 1999 and Diorhyssalusallani (Brues, 1937), both from Upper Cretaceous ambers of North America. We discuss the taxonomy of the Cretaceous braconids, considering †Seneciobraconinae as a valid subfamily. We also comment on possible relationships within †Protorhyssalinae, although a phylogenetic analysis is necessary. Additionally, a checklist is included of braconids known from Cretaceous ambers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Álvarez-Parra
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, c/ Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enrique Peñalver
- Instituto Geológico y Minero de España-CSIC, c/ Cirilo Amorós 42, 46004, Valencia, Spain
| | - Xavier Delclòs
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, c/ Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-4415, USA,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
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26
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Jouault C, Engel MS, Huang D, Berger J, Grandcolas P, Perkovsky EE, Legendre F, Nel A. Termite Valkyries: Soldier-Like Alate Termites From the Cretaceous and Task Specialization in the Early Evolution of Isoptera. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.737367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In several insect eusocial lineages, e.g., some aphids, thrips, ants, some stingless bees, and termites, task specialization is brought to its climax with a sterile soldier caste solely devoted to colony defense. In Isoptera, while the reproductives are defenseless, the soldiers have unique morpho-physiological specializations whose origin and evolution remain unresolved. Here we report on two instances of Cretaceous fossil termite reproductives belonging to different families († Valkyritermes inopinatus gen. et sp. nov. and an unpublished specimen from the Crato Formation), with intriguing phragmotic soldier-like heads and functional wings. These individuals, herein called Valkyries, are the first termite reproductives known with defensive features and suggest that phragmosis arose at least in the Early Cretaceous. Valkyries resemble modern neotenic soldiers except for their complete wings. Their discovery supports the hypothesis that the division between reproductive (indicated by the winged condition of Valkyries) and defensive tasks (indicated by the phragmotic head) has not always been complete in termite history. We explore two alternative scenarios regarding the origin of Valkyries (i.e., relatively recent and convergent origins vs. plesiomorphic condition) and discuss how they might relate to the development of soldiers. We argue that, in both cases, Valkyries likely evolved to face external threats, a selective pressure that could also have favored the origin of soldiers from helpers. Valkyries highlight the developmental flexibility of termites and illustrate the tortuous paths that evolution may follow.
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27
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Du S, Gu L, Engel MS, Ren D, Yao Y. Morphological Phylogeny of New Cretaceous Fossils Elucidates the Early History of Soil Dwelling Among Bugs. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.908044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Burrowing bugs are distinctive, beetle-like insects of the pentatomoid family Cydnidae, noteworthy for their morphological specializations for digging and a hemiedaphic life history. However, less is known about their biological significance and the early origin of soil dwelling. Direct fossil evidence illuminating the evolutionary history of soil dwelling in cydnids is extremely rare. In this study, we report four new species of the burrowing bug subfamily Amnestinae from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, including two exhibiting specialized bulldozing and digging morphological traits on the anterior of the head and forelegs. Associated morphological features and phylogenetic placement indicate that Acanthamnestus represents the earliest unequivocal soil-dwelling cydnids and pushes back the geological record of hemiedaphic true bugs to 99 Ma. Environmental evidence, the distribution of host plants, and the fossils provide a new window for understanding the early origin of soil habits in Amnestinae and may be linked to the appearance of Moraceae.
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28
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Tran NT, Engel MS, Truong LX, Nguyen LTP. First occurrence of the little-known genus Noteriades (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) from Vietnam: discovery of a new species and a key to the Southeast Asian fauna. Zookeys 2022; 1102:191-200. [PMID: 36763065 PMCID: PMC9848788 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1102.82466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The little-known megachiline genus Noteriades Cockerell, 1931 is recorded from Vietnam for the first time. A new species, Noteriadeshangkia Tran, Engel & Nguyen sp. nov. is described and figured based on a series of females collected from the provinces of the northern and central highlands of Vietnam. The genus is briefly discussed and a new subtribe is established, Noteriadina Engel, Tran & Nguyen subtrib. nov. of Megachilini. Lastly, an identification key and distribution map are provided for those species occurring in Southeast Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngat Thi Tran
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamGraduate University of Science and TechnologyHanoiVietnam,Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamInstitute of Ecology and Biological ResourcesHanoiVietnam
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-4415, USAUniversity of KansasLawrenceUnited States of America
| | - Lam Xuan Truong
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamGraduate University of Science and TechnologyHanoiVietnam,Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamInstitute of Ecology and Biological ResourcesHanoiVietnam
| | - Lien Thi Phuong Nguyen
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamGraduate University of Science and TechnologyHanoiVietnam,Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Nghia Do, Cau Giay, Hanoi, VietnamInstitute of Ecology and Biological ResourcesHanoiVietnam
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29
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Buček A, Wang M, Šobotník J, Hellemans S, Sillam-Dussès D, Mizumoto N, Stiblík P, Clitheroe C, Lu T, González Plaza JJ, Mohagan A, Rafanomezantsoa JJ, Fisher B, Engel MS, Roisin Y, Evans TA, Scheffrahn R, Bourguignon T. Molecular phylogeny reveals the past transoceanic voyages of drywood termites (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae). Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6577226. [PMID: 35511685 PMCID: PMC9113494 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Termites are major decomposers in terrestrial ecosystems and the second most diverse lineage of social insects. The Kalotermitidae form the second-largest termite family and are distributed across tropical and subtropical ecosystems, where they typically live in small colonies confined to single wood items inhabited by individuals with no foraging abilities. How the Kalotermitidae have acquired their global distribution patterns remains unresolved. Similarly, it is unclear whether foraging is ancestral to Kalotermitidae or was secondarily acquired in a few species. These questions can be addressed in a phylogenetic framework. We inferred time-calibrated phylogenetic trees of Kalotermitidae using mitochondrial genomes of ∼120 species, about 27% of kalotermitid diversity, including representatives of 21 of the 23 kalotermitid genera. Our mitochondrial genome phylogenetic trees were corroborated by phylogenies inferred from nuclear ultraconserved elements derived from a subset of 28 species. We found that extant kalotermitids shared a common ancestor 84 Ma (75–93 Ma 95% highest posterior density), indicating that a few disjunctions among early-diverging kalotermitid lineages may predate Gondwana breakup. However, most of the ∼40 disjunctions among biogeographic realms were dated at <50 Ma, indicating that transoceanic dispersals, and more recently human-mediated dispersals, have been the major drivers of the global distribution of Kalotermitidae. Our phylogeny also revealed that the capacity to forage is often found in early-diverging kalotermitid lineages, implying the ancestors of Kalotermitidae were able to forage among multiple wood pieces. Our phylogenetic estimates provide a platform for critical taxonomic revision and future comparative analyses of Kalotermitidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Buček
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - M Wang
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - J Šobotník
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - S Hellemans
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - D Sillam-Dussès
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology, UR 4443, University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
| | - N Mizumoto
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - P Stiblík
- Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - C Clitheroe
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - T Lu
- Tomer Lu, Total Hadbara Israel
| | - J J González Plaza
- International Research Centre in Critical Raw Materials-ICCRAM, University of Burgos, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001 Burgos, Spain
| | - A Mohagan
- Center for Biodiversity Research and Extension in Mindanao, Central Mindanao University, Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon 8710, Philippines.,Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Central Mindanao University, Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon 8710, Philippines
| | - J J Rafanomezantsoa
- Madagascar Biodiversity Center, Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - B Fisher
- Madagascar Biodiversity Center, Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, Antananarivo, Madagascar.,California Academy of the Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - M S Engel
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.,Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Y Roisin
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - T A Evans
- School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Perth WA 6009, Australia
| | - R Scheffrahn
- Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, 3205 College Avenue, Davie, Florida 33314, USA
| | - T Bourguignon
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan.,Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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30
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Engel MS, Nguyen LTP, Tran NT, Truong TA, Herrera Motta AF. A new genus of minute stingless bees from Southeast Asia (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Zookeys 2022; 1089:53-72. [PMID: 35586599 PMCID: PMC8942966 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1089.78000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A new genus of minute stingless bees (Meliponini: Hypotrigonina) is described from Southeast Asia. Ebaiotrigona Engel & Nguyen, gen. nov., is based on the type species Lisotrigona carpenteri Engel, recorded from Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and southern China. The species was previously considered an enigmatic member of Lisotrigona Moure, but is removed to a new genus based on its unique male terminalia that differs considerably from that of Lisotrigona and instead shares resemblances with Austroplebeia Moure, and the presence of yellow maculation (also similar to that of Austroplebeia). It is possible that Ebaiotrigona is the extant sister group of Austroplebeia, but this requires confirmation by future phylogenetic analyses. Based on available biological observations, Ebaiotrigona carpenteri could not be confirmed as lachryphagous as is well documented from the tear-drinking species of Lisotrigona and Pariotrigona Moure.
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31
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Cai C, Tihelka E, Giacomelli M, Lawrence JF, Ślipiński A, Kundrata R, Yamamoto S, Thayer MK, Newton AF, Leschen RAB, Gimmel ML, Lü L, Engel MS, Bouchard P, Huang D, Pisani D, Donoghue PCJ. Integrated phylogenomics and fossil data illuminate the evolution of beetles. R Soc Open Sci 2022; 9:211771. [PMID: 35345430 PMCID: PMC8941382 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Beetles constitute the most biodiverse animal order with over 380 000 described species and possibly several million more yet unnamed. Recent phylogenomic studies have arrived at considerably incongruent topologies and widely varying estimates of divergence dates for major beetle clades. Here, we use a dataset of 68 single-copy nuclear protein-coding (NPC) genes sampling 129 out of the 193 recognized extant families as well as the first comprehensive set of fully justified fossil calibrations to recover a refined timescale of beetle evolution. Using phylogenetic methods that counter the effects of compositional and rate heterogeneity, we recover a topology congruent with morphological studies, which we use, combined with other recent phylogenomic studies, to propose several formal changes in the classification of Coleoptera: Scirtiformia and Scirtoidea sensu nov., Clambiformia ser. nov. and Clamboidea sensu nov., Rhinorhipiformia ser. nov., Byrrhoidea sensu nov., Dryopoidea stat. res., Nosodendriformia ser. nov. and Staphyliniformia sensu nov., and Erotyloidea stat. nov., Nitiduloidea stat. nov. and Cucujoidea sensu nov., alongside changes below the superfamily level. Our divergence time analyses recovered a late Carboniferous origin of Coleoptera, a late Palaeozoic origin of all modern beetle suborders and a Triassic-Jurassic origin of most extant families, while fundamental divergences within beetle phylogeny did not coincide with the hypothesis of a Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyang Cai
- 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
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Erik Tihelka
- 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
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Mattia Giacomelli
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - John F. Lawrence
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Adam Ślipiński
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Robin Kundrata
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 50, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Shûhei Yamamoto
- Hokkaido University Museum, Hokkaido University, Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0808, Japan
| | - Margaret K. Thayer
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Alfred F. Newton
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Richard A. B. Leschen
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, New Zealand Arthropod Collection, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Matthew L. Gimmel
- Invertebrate Zoology Department, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, USA
| | - Liang Lü
- College of Life Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, People's Republic of China
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Patrice Bouchard
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Diying Huang
- 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
| | - Davide Pisani
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Philip C. J. Donoghue
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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Shi C, Wang S, Cai HH, Zhang HR, Long XX, Tihelka E, Song WC, Feng Q, Jiang RX, Cai CY, Lombard N, Li X, Yuan J, Zhu JP, Yang HY, Liu XF, Xiang QP, Zhao ZT, Long CL, Schneider H, Zhang XC, Peng H, Li DZ, Fan Y, Engel MS, Wang YD, Spicer RA. Fire-prone Rhamnaceae with South African affinities in Cretaceous Myanmar amber. Nat Plants 2022; 8:125-135. [PMID: 35102275 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-021-01091-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The rapid Cretaceous diversification of flowering plants remains Darwin's 'abominable mystery' despite numerous fossil flowers discovered in recent years. Wildfires were frequent in the Cretaceous and many such early flower fossils are represented by charcoalified fragments, lacking complete delicate structures and surface textures, making their similarity to living forms difficult to discern. Furthermore, scarcity of information about the ecology of early angiosperms makes it difficult to test hypotheses about the drivers of their diversification, including the role of fire in shaping flowering plant evolution. We report the discovery of two exquisitely preserved fossil flower species, one identical to the inflorescences of the extant crown-eudicot genus Phylica and the other recovered as a sister group to Phylica, both preserved as inclusions together with burned plant remains in Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar (~99 million years ago). These specialized flower species, named Phylica piloburmensis sp. nov. and Eophylica priscastellata gen. et sp. nov., exhibit traits identical to those of modern taxa in fire-prone ecosystems such as the fynbos of South Africa, and provide evidence of fire adaptation in angiosperms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Shi
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.
- Fushun Amber Institute, Fushun, China.
| | - Hao-Hong Cai
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Hong-Rui Zhang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiao-Xuan Long
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Erik Tihelka
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol, UK
| | - Wei-Cai Song
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Qi Feng
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Ri-Xin Jiang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Chen-Yang Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Natasha Lombard
- Biosystematics and Biodiversity Collections Division, National Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Xiong Li
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Ji Yuan
- Shanghai World Expo Museum, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian-Ping Zhu
- College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Hui-Yu Yang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiao-Fan Liu
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Qiao-Ping Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zun-Tian Zhao
- College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Chun-Lin Long
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Harald Schneider
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yatsen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xian-Chun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hua Peng
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - De-Zhu Li
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Yong Fan
- Fushun Amber Institute, Fushun, China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Yong-Dong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Robert A Spicer
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, China
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
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Grímsson F, Ulrich S, Zetter R, Hörnschemeyer T, Engel MS, Wedmann S. How to extract and analyze pollen from internal organs and exoskeletons of fossil insects? STAR Protoc 2021; 2:100923. [PMID: 34761235 PMCID: PMC8567441 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
This protocol explains how to extract pollen from fossil insects with subsequent descriptions of pollen treatment. We also describe how to document morphological and ultrastructural features with light-microscopy and electron microscopy. It enables a taxonomic assignment of pollen that can be used to interpret flower-insect interactions, foraging and feeding behavior of insects, and the paleoenvironment. The protocol is limited by the state of the fossil, the presence/absence of pollen on fossil specimens, and the availability of extant pollen for comparison. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Wappler et al. (2015), Ulrich and Grímsson (2020), and Wedmann et al. (2021). Protocol for extracting and analyzing pollen grains from fossil insects Individual fossil grains can be analyzed using a combined approach Simple and fast TEM embedding and sectioning protocol Protocol enables a taxonomic assignment of pollen
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Affiliation(s)
- Friðgeir Grímsson
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Silvia Ulrich
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Reinhard Zetter
- Department of Paleontology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Hörnschemeyer
- Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie & Anthropologie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Sonja Wedmann
- Senckenberg Forschungsstation Grube Messel, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt/M., 64409 Messel, Germany
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34
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Salatnaya H, Fuah AM, Engel MS, Sumantri C, Widiatmaka W, Kahono S. Diversity, Nest Preferences, and Forage Plants of Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) from West Halmahera, North Moluccas, Indonesia. JITV 2021. [DOI: 10.14334/jitv.v26i4.2896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
S<span lang="IN">urvey of stingless bee diversity, nesting preferences, and </span>forage<span lang="IN"> plants </span>was conducted in <span lang="IN">West Halmahera across 134 collection sites. </span>This research was<span lang="IN"> aimed to </span>determine species diversity, nesting preference and habitat, and domin<span lang="IN">a</span>nt for<span lang="IN">a</span>ge pl<span lang="IN">a</span>nts. There were three species found, <span lang="IN">the most common species being </span><span lang="IN">Tetragonula clypearis (Friese), followed by T. sapiens (Cockerell), and last T. biroi (Friese).</span> Based on the morphology characters of each species, the key identification was provided. The most colonies were found in public houses <span lang="IN">(80.39%)</span>, <span lang="IN">followed by plantations (13.73%), and the community forest (5.88%), respectively.</span><span lang="IN">Most colonies nested in stone cavities, parts of the ho</span>us<span lang="IN">es, wooden materials, tree trunks, logs, tree roots, bamboo, and sometimes iron cavities.</span> The forage plants consist of forage plantation, crops, fruits, vegetables, ornamental flowers, wild plants and shrubs. The three species found were new record in West Halmahera. Bees lived in various hollow places that were safe for their colony. Bees made use of a variety of flowering plants and secrete resins around the nest site.
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35
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Xiong S, Engel MS, Xiao L, Ren D. New archidermapteran earwigs (Dermaptera) from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China. Zookeys 2021; 1065:125-139. [PMID: 34759716 PMCID: PMC8563706 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1065.72720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Two new species of Archidermaptera are described and figured from the Middle Jurassic Jiulonghsan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. Aneurodermaoiodesgen. & sp. nov. is described in the family Protodiplatyidae and Sinopalaeodermataconcavumsp. nov. is established in the family Dermapteridae. Both new species share the typical characters of the extinct suborder Archidermaptera (e.g., pentamerous metatarsi, filiform and multimerous cerci, externalized ovipositor). Aneurodermagen. nov. is compared with other genera of the Protodiplatyidae, while S.concavumsp. nov. allows us to emend the diagnosis of the genus Sinopalaeodermata. We briefly discuss the diversity of Archidermaptera and challenges to understanding relationships among this mid-Mesozoic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shurong Xiong
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China Capital Normal University Beijing China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive - Suite 140, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-4415, USA University of Kansas Lawrence United States of America.,Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024-5192, USA American Museum of Natural History New York United States of America
| | - Lifang Xiao
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China Capital Normal University Beijing China
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuanbeilu, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China Capital Normal University Beijing China
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Abstract
Abstract
We present a phylogeny of Chrysopidae inferred from combining molecular and morphological data. Apochrysinae were recovered as sister to the rest of the family (Nothochrysinae and Chrysopinae). The monogeneric tribe Nothancylini is confirmed as sister to the remaining Chrysopinae. The other four tribes are grouped in two clades: Belonopterygini + Leucochrysini and Ankylopterygini + Chrysopini. The Nineta-group is herein transferred from Chrysopini to Ankylopterygini. Within the diverse and species-rich Chrysopini we recognize five genus-group clades: Chrysopa, Chrysoperla, Chrysopodes, Eremochrysa and Meleoma generic groups. The mapping of characters, such as the parameres, the tignum, the im cell or the tibial spurs, on the phylogeny provides insights into the evolution of these traits in the family. In addition, we propose the following taxonomic changes to the classification of the family: the inclusion of Chrysopidia, Nineta and Tumeochrysa in the tribe Ankylopterygini, and the synonymization of Furcochrysa with Chrysopa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura C V Breitkreuz
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ivonne J Garzón-Orduña
- Colección Nacional de Insectos, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de México, México, Mexico
| | - Shaun L Winterton
- California State Collection of Arthropods, California Department of Food & Agriculture, 3294 Meadowview Rd. Sacramento, 95832-1148, California, USA
| | - Michael S Engel
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
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37
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Abstract
Insects comprise over half of all described animal species. Together with the Protura (coneheads), Collembola (springtails) and Diplura (two-pronged bristletails), insects form the Hexapoda, a terrestrial arthropod lineage characterised by possessing six legs. Exponential growth of genome-scale data for the hexapods has substantially altered our understanding of the origin and evolution of insect biodiversity. Phylogenomics has provided a new framework for reconstructing insect evolutionary history, resolving their position among the arthropods and some long-standing internal controversies such as the placement of the termites, twisted-winged insects, lice and fleas. However, despite the greatly increased size of phylogenomic datasets, contentious relationships among key insect clades remain unresolved. Further advances in insect phylogeny cannot rely on increased depth and breadth of genome and taxon sequencing. Improved modelling of the substitution process is fundamental to countering tree-reconstruction artefacts, while gene content, modelling of duplications and deletions, and comparative morphology all provide complementary lines of evidence to test hypotheses emerging from the analysis of sequence data. Finally, the integration of molecular and morphological data is key to the incorporation of fossil species within insect phylogeny. The emerging integrated framework of insect evolution will help explain the origins of insect megadiversity in terms of the evolution of their body plan, species diversity and ecology. Future studies of insect phylogeny should build upon an experimental, hypothesis-driven approach where the robustness of hypotheses generated is tested against increasingly realistic evolutionary models as well as complementary sources of phylogenetic evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Tihelka
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and Centre for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
| | - Chenyang Cai
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and Centre for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
| | | | - Jesus Lozano-Fernandez
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Omar Rota-Stabelli
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 San Michele all Adige, Italy; Center Agriculture Food Environment, University of Trento, 38010 San Michele all Adige, Italy
| | - Diying Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and Centre for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | | | - Davide Pisani
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
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38
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Engel MS, Ceríaco LMP, Daniel GM, Dellapé PM, Löbl I, Marinov M, Reis RE, Young MT, Dubois A, Agarwal I, Lehmann A. P, Alvarado M, Alvarez N, Andreone F, Araujo-Vieira K, Ascher JS, Baêta D, Baldo D, Bandeira SA, Barden P, Barrasso DA, Bendifallah L, Bockmann FA, Böhme W, Borkent A, Brandão CRF, Busack SD, Bybee SM, Channing A, Chatzimanolis S, Christenhusz MJM, Crisci JV, D’elía G, Da Costa LM, Davis SR, De Lucena CAS, Deuve T, Fernandes Elizalde S, Faivovich J, Farooq H, Ferguson AW, Gippoliti S, Gonçalves FMP, Gonzalez VH, Greenbaum E, Hinojosa-Díaz IA, Ineich I, Jiang J, Kahono S, Kury AB, Lucinda PHF, Lynch JD, Malécot V, Marques MP, Marris JWM, Mckellar RC, Mendes LF, Nihei SS, Nishikawa K, Ohler A, Orrico VGD, Ota H, Paiva J, Parrinha D, Pauwels OSG, Pereyra MO, Pestana LB, Pinheiro PDP, Prendini L, Prokop J, Rasmussen C, Rödel MO, Rodrigues MT, Rodríguez SM, Salatnaya H, Sampaio Í, Sánchez-García A, Shebl MA, Santos BS, Solórzano-Kraemer MM, Sousa ACA, Stoev P, Teta P, Trape JF, Dos Santos CVD, Vasudevan K, Vink CJ, Vogel G, Wagner P, Wappler T, Ware JL, Wedmann S, Zacharie CK. The taxonomic impediment: a shortage of taxonomists, not the lack of technical approaches. Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Luis M P Ceríaco
- Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Gimo M Daniel
- Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates, The National Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa; Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa
| | - Pablo M Dellapé
- División Entomología, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, CONICET, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ivan Löbl
- Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Département de Génétique et Evolution, Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Milen Marinov
- Biosecurity Surveillance & Incursion Investigation Plant Health Team, Ministry for Primary Industries, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Roberto E Reis
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Mark T Young
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Alain Dubois
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire naturelle,CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Ishan Agarwal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Pablo Lehmann A.
- Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo, Brazil
| | - Mabel Alvarado
- Departamento de Entomología, Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru
| | - Nadir Alvarez
- Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Département de Génétique et Evolution, Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Katyuscia Araujo-Vieira
- Laboratório de Herpetologia, Departamento de Biodiversidade and Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP), Universidade Estadual Paulista-UNESP, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - John S Ascher
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Délio Baêta
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos - Rede de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Diego Baldo
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical (CONICET-UNaM), Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Suzana A Bandeira
- Instituto Nacional da Biodiversidade e Áreas de Conservação, Luanda, Angola
| | - Phillip Barden
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Diego A Barrasso
- Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral (IDEAus-CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Leila Bendifallah
- Laboratory of Soft Technologies, Valorization, Physico-Chemistry of Biological Materials and Biodiversity, Faculty of Science, University M’hamed Bougara of Boumerdes, Boumerdes, Algeria
| | - Flávio A Bockmann
- Department of Biology, FFCLRP/ Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Wolfgang Böhme
- Section of Herpetology, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
| | - Art Borkent
- 691-8th Ave SE, Salmon Arm, British Columbia, V1E 2C2, Canada
| | | | - Stephen D Busack
- Research and Collections, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Seth M Bybee
- Department of Biology and Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, Provo UT, USA
| | - Alan Channing
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | | | - Maarten J M Christenhusz
- The Linnean Society of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, UK; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, UK; Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
| | - Jorge V Crisci
- División Plantas Vasculares, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Guillermo D’elía
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Luis M Da Costa
- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Steven R Davis
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Carlos Alberto S De Lucena
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Thierry Deuve
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire naturelle,CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | | | - Julián Faivovich
- División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’ – CONICET,Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Harith Farooq
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Adam W Ferguson
- Gantz Family Collection Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, USA
| | | | | | - Victor H Gonzalez
- Undergraduate Biology Program & Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Eli Greenbaum
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Ismael A Hinojosa-Díaz
- Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ivan Ineich
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire naturelle,CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Jianping Jiang
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Sih Kahono
- Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Jl, Raya Jakarta Bogor, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Adriano B Kury
- Departmento Invertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - John D Lynch
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Valéry Malécot
- Institut Agro, Univ Angers, INRAE, IRHS, SFR QUASAV, Angers, France
| | - Mariana P Marques
- Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - John W M Marris
- Entomology Research Collection, Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | | | - Luis F Mendes
- Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Silvio S Nihei
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Kanto Nishikawa
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Annemarie Ohler
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire naturelle,CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Victor G D Orrico
- Tropical Herpetology Laboratory, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Ilhéus, Brazil
| | - Hidetoshi Ota
- Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Hyogo, and Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo, Sanda, Japan
| | - Jorge Paiva
- Centre for Functional Ecology. Science for People and the Planet, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Diogo Parrinha
- Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Martín O Pereyra
- Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva ‘Claudio J. Bidau’, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS, CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Lueji B Pestana
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade Agostinho Neto, Luanda, Angola
| | | | - Lorenzo Prendini
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jakub Prokop
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Mark-Oliver Rödel
- Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Sara M Rodríguez
- Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile,Valdivia, Chile
| | - Hearty Salatnaya
- Agrotechnology Study Program. Banau Tertiary Institute of Agricultural Enterprise, West Halmahera, Indonesia
| | - Íris Sampaio
- Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Alba Sánchez-García
- Departament de Botànica i Geologia, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València,Burjassot, València, Spain
| | - Mohamed A Shebl
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Bruna S Santos
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Mónica M Solórzano-Kraemer
- Department of Palaeontology and Historical Geology, Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ana C A Sousa
- Grutas da Moeda e Fátima Lda., São Mamede, Batalha, Portugal
| | - Pavel Stoev
- National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Pablo Teta
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jean-François Trape
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR MIVEGEC, Dakar, Senegal
| | | | - Karthikeyan Vasudevan
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, Attapur, Hyderabad, India
| | - Cor J Vink
- Department of Pest-management and Conservation, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Gernot Vogel
- Society for Southeast Asian Herpetology, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Sonja Wedmann
- Senckenberg Forschungsstation Grube Messel, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt/M., Germany
| | - Chifundera Kusamba Zacharie
- Laboratory of Herpetology, Zoology Section, Department of Biology, Centre of Research in Natural Sciences at Lwiro, South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Sánchez-García A, Peñalver E, Delclòs X, Engel MS. Terrestrial Isopods from Spanish Amber (Crustacea: Oniscidea): Insights into the Cretaceous Soil Biota. American Museum Novitates 2021. [DOI: 10.1206/3974.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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40
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Jiang RX, Song HT, He XY, Engel MS, Wang S. A new termitophilous genus and species of the tribe Amarygmini Gistel, 1848 from China (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Zootaxa 2021; 5004:577-586. [PMID: 34811287 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5004.4.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
A new genus and species, Termitocnemis huangi gen. et sp. nov., of the tenebrionine tribe Amarygmini Gistel, 1848 is described from Fujian Province, southeastern China. All specimens were collected from a healthy nest of the termite genus Nasutitermes Dudley, 1890, implying that this species is truly termitophilous. Transitional habitus characters of the new species shed further light on the evolution of amarygmine beetles from free-living to termitophily. Given the discovery of this new genus a revised key is provided to the Oriental genera of termitophilous Amarygmini.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ri-Xin Jiang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao, 266042, P. R. China..
| | - Hai-Tian Song
- Fujian Academy of Forestry Sciences, Fuzhou, 350012, China..
| | - Xue-You He
- Fujian Academy of Forestry Sciences, Fuzhou, 350012, China..
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA..
| | - Shuo Wang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao, 266042, P. R. China..
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41
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Jiang RX, Li ZC, Ji QY, Engel MS, Wang S. Three new species of the genus Hexarhopalus Fairmaire, 1891 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae: Cnodalonini) from China. Zootaxa 2021; 5004:587-597. [PMID: 34811286 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5004.4.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Three new species of the genus Hexarhopalus Fairmaire, 1891 are described and figured from China: Hexarhopalus (Hexarhopalus) yunnanensis sp. nov. from Yunnan, Hexarhopalus (Hexarhopalus) zhuxiangi sp. nov. from Guangxi, and Hexarhopalus (Leprocaulus) nanlingensis sp. nov. from Guangdong. A revised key is provided to the species of Hexarhopalus from China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ri-Xin Jiang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao, 266042, P. R. China..
| | - Ze-Chuan Li
- College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang, Nanjing, 210095, P. R. China..
| | - Quan-Yu Ji
- School of Automotive and Traffic Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212001, P.R. China..
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA. .
| | - Shuo Wang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao, 266042, P. R. China..
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Shi C, Cai HH, Jiang RX, Wang S, Engel MS, Yuan J, Bai M, Yang D, Long CL, Zhao ZT, Zhang DX, Zhang XC, Peng H, Wang YD, Spicer RA. Balance scientific and ethical concerns to achieve a nuanced perspective on 'blood amber'. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:705-706. [PMID: 34089026 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01479-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chao Shi
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Hao-Hong Cai
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Ri-Xin Jiang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.
| | - Michael S Engel
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Ji Yuan
- Shanghai World Expo Museum, Shanghai, China
| | - Ming Bai
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ding Yang
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Chun-Lin Long
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Zun-Tian Zhao
- College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Dian-Xiang Zhang
- South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Xian-Chun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Hua Peng
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
| | - Yong-Dong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.
| | - Robert A Spicer
- School of Environment, Earth, and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. .,CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, China.
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Wedmann S, Hörnschemeyer T, Engel MS, Zetter R, Grímsson F. The last meal of an Eocene pollen-feeding fly. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2020-2026.e4. [PMID: 33705719 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
One of the most important trophic interactions today is that between insects and their floral hosts. This biotic association is believed to have been critical to the radiation of flowering plants and many pollinating insect lineages over the last 120 million years (Ma). Trophic interactions among fossil organisms are challenging to study, and most inferences are based on indirect evidence. Fossil records providing direct evidence for pollen feeding, i.e., fossil stomach and gut contents, are exceptionally rare.1,2 Such records have the potential to provide information on aspects of animal behavior and ecology as well as plant-animal interactions that are sometimes not yet recognized for their extant relatives. The dietary preferences of short-proboscid nemestrinids are unknown, and pollinivory has not been recorded for extant Nemestrinidae.3 We analyzed the contents of the conspicuously swollen abdomen of an ca. 47.5 Ma old nemestrinid fly of the genus Hirmoneura from Messel, Germany, with photogrammetry and state-of-the-art palynological methods. The fly fed on pollen from at least four plant families-Lythraceae, Vitaceae, Sapotaceae, and Oleaceae-and presumably pollinated flowers of two extant genera, Decodon and Parthenocissus. We interpret the feeding and foraging behavior of the fly, reconstruct its preferred habitat, and conclude about its pollination role and importance in paratropical environments. This represents the first evidence that short-proboscid nemestrinid flies fed, and possibly feed to this day, on pollen, demonstrating how fossils can provide vital information on the behavior of insects and their ecological relationships with plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Wedmann
- Senckenberg Forschungsstation Grube Messel, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt/M., 64409 Messel, Germany.
| | - Thomas Hörnschemeyer
- Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institut für Zoologie & Anthropologie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Reinhard Zetter
- Department of Paleontology, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Friðgeir Grímsson
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
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Wang B, Shi G, Xu C, Spicer RA, Perrichot V, Schmidt AR, Feldberg K, Heinrichs J, Chény C, Pang H, Liu X, Gao T, Wang Z, Ślipiński A, Solórzano-Kraemer MM, Heads SW, Thomas MJ, Sadowski EM, Szwedo J, Azar D, Nel A, Liu Y, Chen J, Zhang Q, Zhang Q, Luo C, Yu T, Zheng D, Zhang H, Engel MS. The mid-Miocene Zhangpu biota reveals an outstandingly rich rainforest biome in East Asia. Sci Adv 2021; 7:7/18/eabg0625. [PMID: 33931457 PMCID: PMC8087408 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg0625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
During the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum [MMCO, ~14 to 17 million years (Ma) ago], global temperatures were similar to predicted temperatures for the coming century. Limited megathermal paleoclimatic and fossil data are known from this period, despite its potential as an analog for future climate conditions. Here, we report a rich middle Miocene rainforest biome, the Zhangpu biota (~14.7 Ma ago), based on material preserved in amber and associated sedimentary rocks from southeastern China. The record shows that the mid-Miocene rainforest reached at least 24.2°N and was more widespread than previously estimated. Our results not only highlight the role of tropical rainforests acting as evolutionary museums for biodiversity at the generic level but also suggest that the MMCO probably strongly shaped the East Asian biota via the northern expansion of the megathermal rainforest biome. The Zhangpu biota provides an ideal snapshot for biodiversity redistribution during global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- 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, China.
| | - Gongle Shi
- 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, China.
| | - 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, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Robert A Spicer
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- School of Environment, Earth, and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Vincent Perrichot
- Géosciences Rennes, Université de Rennes, CNRS, UMR 6118, 35000 Rennes, France
| | | | - Kathrin Feldberg
- Department of Geobiology, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jochen Heinrichs
- Systematic Botany and Mycology, Department of Biology I and Geobio-Center, Ludwig Maximilian University, 80638 Munich, Germany
| | - Cédric Chény
- 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, China
- Géosciences Rennes, Université de Rennes, CNRS, UMR 6118, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Hong Pang
- School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Xingyue Liu
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Taiping Gao
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Zixi 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, China
| | - Adam Ślipiński
- Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Mónica M Solórzano-Kraemer
- Department of Palaeontology and Historical Geology, Senckenberg Research Institute, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sam W Heads
- Center for Paleontology, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
| | - M Jared Thomas
- Center for Paleontology, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
| | - Eva-Maria Sadowski
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jacek Szwedo
- 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, China
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Entomology and Museum of Amber Inclusions, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, University of Gdańsk, 80308 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Dany Azar
- 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, China
- Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Sciences II, Lebanese University, P.O. Box 26110217, Fanar-Matn, Lebanon
| | - André Nel
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université des Antilles, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Ye Liu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- School of Geography and Tourism, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao 276826, China
| | - Qingqing Zhang
- 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, 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, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tingting Yu
- 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, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Daran Zheng
- 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, China
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 999077, China
| | - Haichun Zhang
- 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, China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive, Suite 140, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
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Abstract
Life cycles of parasites, particularly those with complex life histories and developmental pathways, are rarely preserved as fossils in total.1 The evidence is almost universally biased toward incomplete perspectives derived from a single sex or life stage.2,3 Here, we report a piece of Cretaceous Burmese amber that contains 28 males, a larviform female, and two longipede larvae of the wedge-shaped beetle Paleoripiphorus, and its potential cockroach host. Collectively, this fossil represents the complete series of free-living stages (except of the last larval instar) for a 99-million-year-old parasitoid insect from Myanmar (Figure 1 and Supplemental Information). The wedge-shaped beetles (Ripiphoridae) are of special interest among parasitoids because of their obligatory, protelean development in larvae of cockroaches, beetles, bees and wasps.4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Batelka
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, 1501 Crestline Drive - Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045-4415, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Jakub Prokop
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic
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Solórzano-Kraemer MM, Delclòs X, Engel MS, Peñalver E. A revised definition for copal and its significance for palaeontological and Anthropocene biodiversity-loss studies. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19904. [PMID: 33199762 PMCID: PMC7669904 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76808-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The early fossilization steps of natural resins and associated terminology are a subject of constant debate. Copal and resin are archives of palaeontological and historical information, and their study is critical to the discovery of new and/or recently extinct species and to trace changes in forests during the Holocene. For such studies, a clear, suitable definition for copal is vital and is herein established. We propose an age range for copal (2.58 Ma—1760 AD), including Pleistocene and Holocene copals, and the novel term "Defaunation resin", defined as resin produced after the commencement of the Industrial Revolution. Defaunation resin is differentiated from Holocene copal as it was produced during a period of intense human transformative activities. Additionally, the “Latest Amber Bioinclusions Gap” (LABG) since the late Miocene to the end of the Pleistocene is hereby newly defined, and is characterized by its virtual absence of bioinclusions and the consequent lack of palaeontological information, which in part explains the historical differentiation between amber and copal. Crucial time intervals in the study of resin production, and of the biodiversity that could be contained, are now clarified, providing a framework for and focusing future research on bioinclusions preserved in copal and resin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica M Solórzano-Kraemer
- Palaeontology and Historical Geology, Senckenberg Research Institute, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Xavier Delclòs
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - 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
| | - Enrique Peñalver
- Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (Museo Geominero), 46004, Valencia, Spain
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48
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Lu X, Wang B, Zhang W, Ohl M, Engel MS, Liu X. Cretaceous diversity and disparity in a lacewing lineage of predators (Neuroptera: Mantispidae). Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200629. [PMID: 32486975 PMCID: PMC7341918 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mantidflies (Mantispidae) are an unusual and charismatic group of predatory lacewings (Neuroptera), whereby the adults represent a remarkable case of morphological and functional convergence with praying mantises (Mantodea). The evolutionary history of mantidflies remains largely unknown due to a scarcity of fossils. Here, we report the discovery of a highly diverse palaeofauna of mantidflies from the mid-Cretaceous (lowermost Cenomanian) of Myanmar. The raptorial forelegs of these mantidflies possess highly divergent morphological modifications, some of which are unknown among modern mantidflies, e.g. the presence of forked basal profemoral spines or even the complete loss of foreleg spine-like structures. A phylogenetic analysis of Mantispidae reveals a pattern of raptorial foreleg evolution across the family. The high species diversity and disparate foreleg characters might have been driven by diverse niches of predator-prey interplay in the complex tropical forest ecosystem of the mid-Cretaceous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiumei Lu
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Ecological and Environmental Protection, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, 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, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China
| | - Weiwei Zhang
- Three Gorges Entomological Museum, P.O. Box 4680, Chongqing 400015, People's Republic of China
| | - Michael Ohl
- Department Biodiversity Discovery, Museum für Naturkunde, Invalidenstraße 43, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
| | - Xingyue Liu
- Department of Entomology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China
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Yang H, Shi C, Engel MS, Zhao Z, Ren D, Gao T. Early specializations for mimicry and defense in a Jurassic stick insect. Natl Sci Rev 2020; 8:nwaa056. [PMID: 34691548 PMCID: PMC8288419 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwaa056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mimicry and secondary defense are staples among predator–prey interactions. Among insects, the stick and leaf insects are masters of camouflage. Nonetheless, a meager understanding of their origin and early mimetic evolution persists. Here, we report the earliest mimetic and defensive strategies of a stick insect from the Middle Jurassic of China, Aclistophasma echinulatum gen. et sp. nov., exquisitely preserving abdominal extensions and femoral spines. The distribution of these characteristics mapped onto the phylogeny of Phasmatodea reveals that abdominal extensions and femoral spines developed multiple times during the evolution of stick insects, and indicates that the origin of abdominal extensions predates other modifications, while tergal extensions predate other expansions of the body, such as those of the sterna and pleura, as well as defensive femoral spines. The new fossil provides clues into early antipredator defensive strategies, allows inferences as to the potential environment and predators, and reveals the mimetic and defensive mechanisms of stick insects from 165 million years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongru Yang
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Chaofan Shi
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Geodynamics and Geohazards, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources & Geological Processes, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Zhipeng Zhao
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Dong Ren
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Taiping Gao
- College of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
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Zhao X, Wang B, Bashkuev AS, Aria C, Zhang Q, Zhang H, Tang W, Engel MS. Mouthpart homologies and life habits of Mesozoic long-proboscid scorpionflies. Sci Adv 2020; 6:eaay1259. [PMID: 32181343 PMCID: PMC7056314 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay1259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mesozoic long-proboscid scorpionflies (Mesopsychoidea) provide important clues to ancient plant-pollinator interactions. Among them, the family Aneuretopsychidae is especially important because its mouthparts are vital to deciphering the early evolution of Mesopsychoidea and putatively the origin of fleas (Siphonaptera). However, the identification of mouthpart homologs among Aneuretopsychidae remains controversial because of the lack of three-dimensional anatomical data. Here, we report the first Aneuretopsychidae from Late Cretaceous Burmese amber, which have short maxillary palpi and elongate mouthpart elements consisting of one pair of galeae and one hypopharynx. Their mouthparts are identical to those of Pseudopolycentropodidae (= Dualulidae, new synonym) but are not homologous to those of Siphonaptera. Our phylogenetic analysis provides robust evidence for the debated monophyly of Mesopsychoidea. Our results suggest that the long-proboscid condition has most likely evolved once in Mesopsychoidea, independently from fleas, and further reveal the variety and complexity of mid-Cretaceous pollinating insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangdong Zhao
- 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
- University of Sciences and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, 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, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization and Sedimentary Minerals, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266590, China
| | - Alexey S. Bashkuev
- Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul. 123, Moscow, 117997 Russia
| | - Cédric Aria
- 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
| | - Qingqing Zhang
- 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
- University of Sciences and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Haichun Zhang
- 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
| | - Wentao Tang
- Changzhou Vocational Institute of Engineering, No. 3 Gehu Road, Changzhou 213164, China
| | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, 1501 Crestline Drive, Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
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