Premium
X‐ray microtomography and phylogenomics provide insights into the morphology and evolution of an enigmatic Mesozoic insect larva
Author(s) -
Badano Davide,
Fratini Michela,
Maugeri Laura,
Palermo Francesca,
Pieroni Nicola,
Cedola Alessia,
Haug Joachim T.,
Weiterschan Thomas,
Velten Jürgen,
Mei Maurizio,
Di Giulio Andrea,
Cerretti Pierfilippo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
systematic entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.552
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1365-3113
pISSN - 0307-6970
DOI - 10.1111/syen.12482
Subject(s) - biology , neuroptera , insect , cretaceous , phylogenetic tree , larva , phylogenetics , morphology (biology) , phylogenomics , evolutionary biology , clade , zoology , paleontology , ecology , biochemistry , gene
Fossils sometimes show unusual morphological features absent in living organisms, making it difficult to reconstruct both their affinity and their function. We describe here a new lacewing larva, Ankyloleon caudatus gen. et sp.n. (Neuroptera) from the Cretaceous amber of Myanmar, characterized by an abdomen unique among insects, with ‘tail‐like’ terminal segments bearing a ventral pair of vesicles. Phase‐contrast X‐ray microtomography reveals that these structures were dense and equipped with a median duct, suggesting that they were likely pygopods used for locomotion, holding the position through adhesive secretions. Our phylogenetic analyses, combining genomic and morphological data from both living and fossil lacewings, proved critical to placing Ankyloleon gen.n. on the lacewing tree of life as an early representative of the antlion clade, Myrmeleontiformia. These results corroborate the view that derived myrmeleontiform lacewings ‘experimented’ with unusual combinations of features and specializations during their evolutionary history, some of which are now lost. Zoobank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0C0AC565‐1AC9‐42CC‐831D‐EDA38BA36F64