Myrmeleontiformia (antlions as well as their relatives) are an ancient grouping of lacewing insects characterized yesteryear predatory larvae amongst odd morphologies as well as behaviours.
 |
| This is a reconstruction of ii lacewing larvae [Credit: YANG Dinghua] |
Their findings demo that Myrmeleontiformia did non hit considerable morphological novelty during the subsequent 100 1000000 years, as well as their multifariousness seemed to number from dissimilar combinations of a express prepare of grapheme traits inwards a complex trade-off.
This morphological stasis helped inwards reconstructing behaviours non preserved yesteryear a draw inwards the fossil record. Inference of these behaviors shed low-cal on the ecological niche as well as lifestyle of extinct Myrmeleontiformia.
 |
| Diversity of lacewing larvae inwards mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber [Credit: NIGPAS] |
The findings suggested that fossorial specializations evolved to a greater extent than than 1 time across Myrmeleontiformia from arboreal ancestors. The fossorial lifestyle of antlions was for sure 1 of the factors leading to their success, allowing these insects to colonize as well as diversify inwards arid habitats where they survived considerable changes inwards terrestrial environments during the Cretaceous lineages.
The Burmese fossils showed that debris-carrying characterized this lineage for at to the lowest degree 100 1000000 years. All of these camouflaging lacewings were equipped amongst elongate protuberances. The rigid statistical correlation betwixt the presence of these protuberances as well as camouflaging conduct demonstrated that this trait is an indicator of such behaviour, fifty-fifty when the debris roofing is non direct preserved inwards the amber slice together amongst the larvae.
 |
| Phylogeny of Myrmeleontiformia based on larval morphology [Credit: NIGPAS] |
Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences [August 21, 2018]
Buat lebih berguna, kongsi:
