Debris-carrying camouflage among diverse lineages of Cretaceous insects

Wáng, Bó; Xia, Fangyuan; Engel, Michael S.; Perrichot, Vincent; Shi, Gongle; Zhang, Haichun; Chen, Jun; Jarzembowski, Edmund A.; Wappler, Torsten; Rust, Jes

doi:10.1126/sciadv.1501918

Cited by 100 publications

(121 citation statements)

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“…The rarity of fossil immature stages is unsurprising considering the soil-dwelling and xeric habitats of most members of the group. The oldest example of larvae of Myrmeleontiformia are specimens of Psychopsidae, Nymphidae and Ascalaphidae from Cretaceous Burmese amber (Engel & Grimaldi, 2008;Wang et al, 2016). Eocene Baltic amber deposits have so far yielded the larvae of Propsychopsis Krüger (Psychopsidae), Neadelphus protae MacLeod (Ascalaphidae) and Pronymphes Krüger (Nymphidae) (MacLeod, 1970;Weitschat & Wichard, 2002).…”

Section: Psychopsidaementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In soil-dwelling species, setiferous processes are smaller and contribute mainly to camouflage by retaining debris. Interestingly the larvae of several genera of Chrysopidae have evolved independently similar structures and behaviour (Pérez-de la Fuente et al, 2012Fuente et al, , 2015Tauber et al, 2014;Wang et al, 2016).…”

Section: Did Antlions and Owlflies Arise From Split-footed Lacewings?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Phylogeny of Myrmeleontiformia based on larval morphology (Neuropterida: Neuroptera)

Badano¹,

Aspöck

et al. 2016

Systematic Entomology

134

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The suborder Myrmeleontiformia is a derived lineage of lacewings (Insecta: Neuroptera) including the families Psychopsidae, Nemopteridae, Nymphidae, Ascalaphidae and Myrmeleontidae. In particular, Myrmeleontidae (antlions) are the most diverse neuropteran family, representing a conspicuous component of the insect fauna of xeric environments. We present the first detailed quantitative phylogenetic analysis of Myrmeleontiformia, based on 107 larval morphological and behavioural characters for 36 genera whose larvae are known (including at least one representative of all the subfamilies of the suborder). Four related families were used as outgroups to polarize character states. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using both parsimony and Bayesian methods. The reconstructions resulting from our analyses corroborate the monophyly of Myrmeleontiformia. Within this clade, Psychopsidae are recovered as the sister family to all the remaining taxa. Nemopteridae (including both subfamilies Nemopterinae and Crocinae) are recovered as monophyletic and sister to the clade comprising Nymphidae + (Myrmeleontidae + Ascalaphidae). Nymphidae consist of two well‐supported clades corresponding to the subfamilies Nymphinae and Myiodactylinae. Our results suggest that Ascalaphidae may not be monophyletic, as they collapse into an unresolved polytomy under the Bayesian analysis. In addition, the recovered phylogenetic relationships diverge from the traditional classification scheme for ascalaphids. Myrmeleontidae are reconstructed as monophyletic, with the subfamilies Stilbopteryginae, Palparinae and Myrmeleontinae. We retrieved a strongly supported clade comprising taxa with a fossorial habit of the preimaginal instars, which represents a major antlion radiation, also including the monophyletic pit‐trap building species.

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Section: Psychopsidaementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Did Antlions and Owlflies Arise From Split-footed Lacewings?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogeny of Myrmeleontiformia based on larval morphology (Neuropterida: Neuroptera)

Badano¹,

Aspöck

et al. 2016

Systematic Entomology

134

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“…The debris packet serves as effective camouflage, permitting some larvae to more stealthily approach their prey and also physically protecting the larvae from predators, parasites, and conspecifics (Principi, ; Eisner et al ., ). Diverse and spectacular chrysopoid larvae have been described from Cretaceous amber deposits, suggesting that camouflaging behaviour and morphology were important biological traits in ancestors of the clade (Pérez‐de la Fuente et al ., ; Liu et al ., ; Wang et al ., ). Yet, some chrysopid larvae lack camouflaging behaviour and are considered as ‘naked’ or ‘non‐debris‐carrying’.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Of particular interest are a variety of Chrysopoidea immatures from the Mesozoic, some of which are preserved with their debris packets intact, thus demonstrating the early evolution of such camouflaging behaviours within the clade (e.g. Pérez‐de la Fuente et al ., ; Wang et al ., ; Liu et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae): a molecular supermatrix approach

Garzón‐Orduña

Winterton

Jiang

et al. 2018

Systematic Entomology

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We present a time-calibrated phylogeny of the charismatic green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Previous phylogenetic studies on the family using DNA sequences have suffered from sparse taxon sampling and/or limited amounts of data. Here we combine all available previously published DNA sequence data and add to it new DNA sequences generated for this study. We analysed these data in a supermatrix using Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods and provide a phylogenetic hypothesis for the family that recovers strong support for the monophyly of all subfamilies and resolves relationships among a large proportion of chrysopine genera. Chrysopinae tribes Leucochrysini and Belonopterygini were recovered as monophyletic sister clades, while the species-rich tribe Chrysopini was rendered paraphyletic by Ankylopterygini. Relationships among the subfamilies were resolved, although with relatively low statistical support, and the topology varied based on the method of analysis. Greatest support was found for Apochrysinae as sister to Nothochrysinae and Chrysopinae, which is in contrast to traditional concepts that place Nothochrysinae as sister to the rest of the family. Divergence estimates suggest that the stem groups to the various subfamilies diverged during the Triassic-Jurassic, and that stem groups of the chrysopine tribes diverged during the Cretaceous.

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“…Setae emerging from the back of the larvae are relatively long and flexible (often longer than body-length), are hooked on the ends, and are wellsuited to carrying large, light objects. [48] The setae found on the thorax or abdomen are densely packed and much shorter and stiffer than those on the back, typically have microtextured tips to increase contact area, and assist with carrying smaller objects like dirt or sand grains. [48] Such selective adhesion properties may also be useful in engineered systems designed to perform a sorting function, e.g., devices that target specific particles or cells, or machines that separate differently sized parts along an assembly line.…”

Section: Physical Adhesive Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

2018

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Over the course of their wildly successful proliferation across the earth, the insects as a taxon have evolved enviable adaptations to their diverse habitats, which include adhesives, locomotor systems, hydrophobic surfaces, and sensors and actuators that transduce mechanical, acoustic, optical, thermal, and chemical signals. Insect‐inspired designs currently appear in a range of contexts, including antireflective coatings, optical displays, and computing algorithms. However, as over one million distinct and highly specialized species of insects have colonized nearly all habitable regions on the planet, they still provide a largely untapped pool of unique problem‐solving strategies. With the intent of providing materials scientists and engineers with a muse for the next generation of bioinspired materials, here, a selection of some of the most spectacular adaptations that insects have evolved is assembled and organized by function. The insects presented display dazzling optical properties as a result of natural photonic crystals, precise hierarchical patterns that span length scales from nanometers to millimeters, and formidable defense mechanisms that deploy an arsenal of chemical weaponry. Successful mimicry of these adaptations may facilitate technological solutions to as wide a range of problems as they solve in the insects that originated them.

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Debris-carrying camouflage among diverse lineages of Cretaceous insects

Abstract: A diverse insect assemblage of exceptionally preserved debris carriers is reported from Cretaceous Burmese, French, and Lebanese ambers.

Cited by 100 publications

References 38 publications

Phylogeny of Myrmeleontiformia based on larval morphology (Neuropterida: Neuroptera)

Phylogeny of Myrmeleontiformia based on larval morphology (Neuropterida: Neuroptera)

Evolution of green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae): a molecular supermatrix approach

It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

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