1
|
Luo C, Poinar GO, Xu C, Zhuo D, Jarzembowski EA, Wang B. Widespread mermithid nematode parasitism of Cretaceous insects. eLife 2023; 12:e86283. [PMID: 37449724 PMCID: PMC10348742 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86283] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Mermithid nematodes are obligate invertebrate parasites dating back to the Early Cretaceous. Their fossil record is sparse, especially before the Cenozoic, thus little is known about their early host associations. This study reports 16 new mermithids associated with their insect hosts from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, 12 of which include previously unknown hosts. These fossils indicate that mermithid parasitism of invertebrates was already widespread and played an important role in the mid-Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem. Remarkably, three hosts (bristletails, barklice, and perforissid planthoppers) were previously unknown to be parasitized by mermithids both past and present. Furthermore, our study shows that in contrast to their Cenozoic counterparts, Cretaceous nematodes including mermithids are more abundant in non-holometabolous insects. This result suggests that nematodes had not completely exploited the dominant Holometabola as their hosts until the Cenozoic. This study reveals what appears to be a vanished history of nematodes that parasitized Cretaceous insects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- 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 SciencesNanjingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - George O Poinar
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State UniversityCorvallisUnited States
| | - 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 SciencesNanjingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - De Zhuo
- Beijing Xiachong Amber MuseumBeijingChina
| | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of SciencesNanjingChina
| | - 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 SciencesNanjingChina
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Jiang H, Tomaschek F, Drew Muscente A, Niu C, Nyunt TT, Fang Y, Schmidt U, Chen J, Lönartz M, Mähler B, Wappler T, Jarzembowski EA, Szwedo J, Zhang H, Rust J, Wang B. Widespread mineralization of soft-bodied insects in Cretaceous amber. Geobiology 2022; 20:363-376. [PMID: 35212124 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12488] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Fossilized tree resin, or amber, commonly contains fossils of animals, plants and microorganisms. These inclusions have generally been interpreted as hollow moulds or mummified remains coated or filled with carbonaceous material. Here, we provide the first report of calcified and silicified insects in amber from the mid-Cretaceous Kachin (Burmese) amber. Data from light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive and wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX and WDX), X-ray micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) and Raman spectroscopy show that these Kachin fossils owe their preservation to multiple diagenetic mineralization processes. The labile tissues (e.g. eyes, wings and trachea) mainly consist of calcite, chalcedony and quartz with minor amounts of carbonaceous material, pyrite, iron oxide and phyllosilicate minerals. Calcite, quartz and chalcedony also occur in cracks as void-filling cements, indicating that the minerals formed from chemical species that entered the fossil inclusions through cracks in the resin. The results demonstrate that resin and amber are not always closed systems. Fluids (e.g. sediment pore water, diagenetic fluid and ground water) at different burial stages have chances to interact with amber throughout its geological history and affect the preservational quality and morphological fidelity of its fossil inclusions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Jiang
- 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, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Section Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Frank Tomaschek
- Section Geochemistry/Petrology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Changtai Niu
- 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, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Thet Tin Nyunt
- Department of Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration, Myanmar Gems Museum, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
| | - Yan Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | | | - Jun Chen
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Mara Lönartz
- Section Geochemistry/Petrology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-6): Nuclear Waste Management and Reactor Safety, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Bastian Mähler
- Section Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Torsten Wappler
- Section Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Natural History Department, Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Jacek Szwedo
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Entomology and Museum of Amber Inclusions, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - 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, China
| | - Jes Rust
- Section Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - 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, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
Aposematic coloration is among the most diverse antipredator strategies, which can signal unpleasantness of organisms to potential predators and reduce the probability of predation. Unlike mimesis, aposematic coloration allows organisms to warn their predators away by conspicuous and recognizable colour patterns. However, aposematism has been a regular puzzle, especially as the long-term history of such traits is obscured by an insufficient fossil record. Here, we report the discovery of aposematic coloration in an orthopteran nymph from Mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (99 million years old). It is attributed to the extinct family Elcanidae and erected as a new genus identified by conspicuous dark/light-striped coloration, four apical spurs on the metatibia, a two-segmented metatarsus and unsegmented stylus. It represents the first fossil orthopteran preserved with aposematic coloration from the Mesozoic, demonstrating that orthopterans had evolved aposematism by the Mid-Cretaceous. Our findings provide novel insights into the early evolution of anti-predator strategies among orthopterans. Together with mimesis, debris-carrying camouflage and aposematism previously reported, our findings demonstrate the relative complexity of prey-predator interactions in the Mesozoic, especially in the Mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber forest. This article is part of the theme issue 'The impact of Chinese palaeontology on evolutionary research'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chunpeng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Cihang Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bao T, Wedmann S, Grímsson F, Beutel RG, Seyfullah L, Bao L, Jarzembowski EA. Was the kateretid beetle Pelretes really a Cretaceous angiosperm pollinator? Nat Plants 2022; 8:38-40. [PMID: 34949805 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-021-01044-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tong Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Sonja Wedmann
- Senckenberg Forschungsstation Grube Messel, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt/M, Messel, Germany
| | - Friðgeir Grímsson
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rolf Georg Beutel
- Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Leyla Seyfullah
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Liang Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wang H, Dunlop J, Gai Z, Lei X, Jarzembowski EA, Wang B. First mixopterid eurypterids (Arthropoda: Chelicerata) from the Lower Silurian of South China. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2021; 66:2277-2280. [PMID: 36654455 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2021.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Han 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; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Jason Dunlop
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Zhikun Gai
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Xiaojie Lei
- 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 Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - 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.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhao X, Yu Y, Clapham ME, Yan E, Chen J, Jarzembowski EA, Zhao X, Wang B. Early evolution of beetles regulated by the end-Permian deforestation. eLife 2021; 10:72692. [PMID: 34747694 PMCID: PMC8585485 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The end-Permian mass extinction (EPME) led to a severe terrestrial ecosystem collapse. However, the ecological response of insects—the most diverse group of organisms on Earth—to the EPME remains poorly understood. Here, we analyse beetle evolutionary history based on taxonomic diversity, morphological disparity, phylogeny, and ecological shifts from the Early Permian to Middle Triassic, using a comprehensive new dataset. Permian beetles were dominated by xylophagous stem groups with high diversity and disparity, which probably played an underappreciated role in the Permian carbon cycle. Our suite of analyses shows that Permian xylophagous beetles suffered a severe extinction during the EPME largely due to the collapse of forest ecosystems, resulting in an Early Triassic gap of xylophagous beetles. New xylophagous beetles appeared widely in the early Middle Triassic, which is consistent with the restoration of forest ecosystems. Our results highlight the ecological significance of insects in deep-time terrestrial ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xianye 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, Nanjing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yilun Yu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Matthew E Clapham
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, United States
| | - Evgeny Yan
- Palaeontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Jun Chen
- 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, China.,Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.,Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - 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, Nanjing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Coram RA, Jarzembowski EA. Immature Insect Assemblages from the Early Cretaceous (Purbeck/Wealden) of Southern England. Insects 2021; 12:insects12100942. [PMID: 34680711 PMCID: PMC8538710 DOI: 10.3390/insects12100942] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The record of immature insects from the non-marine Purbeck and Wealden groups (Lower Cretaceous) of southern England is reviewed and expanded. Fossils of adult terrestrial insects are locally common, but terrestrial immature remains are restricted to transported hemipterans, most of which are sessile nymphs or puparia resembling those of extant whiteflies (Aleyrodidae). Remains of immature aquatic insects are more diverse and comprise the extant orders Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Trichoptera, Hemiptera and Diptera. The Trichoptera are represented by larval cases constructed from a variety of materials corresponding to several ichnogenera. The Wealden immature insects were preserved in predominantly freshwater fluvial settings, whereas the Purbeck ones occur in lagoonal palaeoenvironments, ranging in salinity from brackish to hypersaline. The composition of aquatic immature insect faunas in the latter offers potential for palaeosalinity analysis, although there are complicating factors relating to habitat stability. Uncommon trace fossils such as beetle borings in wood provide evidence of immature insects not represented by body fossils.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert A. Coram
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
- Correspondence: (R.A.C.); (E.A.J.)
| | - Edmund A. Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Correspondence: (R.A.C.); (E.A.J.)
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zheng D, Chang SC, Wang H, Fang Y, Wang J, Feng C, Xie G, Jarzembowski EA, Zhang H, Wang B. Middle-Late Triassic insect radiation revealed by diverse fossils and isotopic ages from China. Sci Adv 2018; 4:eaat1380. [PMID: 30191177 PMCID: PMC6124916 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat1380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [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: 01/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The Triassic represented an important period that witnessed the diversification of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The radiations of terrestrial plants and vertebrates during this period have been widely investigated; however, the Triassic history of insects, the most diverse group of organisms on Earth, remains enigmatic because of the rarity of Early-Middle Triassic fossils. We report new insect fossils from a Ladinian deposit (Tongchuan entomofauna) dated to approximately 238 to 237 million years ago and a Carnian deposit (Karamay entomofauna) in northwestern China, including the earliest definite caddisfly cases (Trichoptera), water boatmen (Hemiptera), diverse polyphagan beetles (Coleoptera), and scorpionflies (Mecoptera). The Tongchuan entomofauna is near the Ladinian-Carnian boundary in age, providing a calibration date for correlation to contemporaneous biotas. Our findings confirm that the clade Holometabola, comprising most of the modern-day insect species, experienced extraordinary diversification in the Middle-Late Triassic. Moreover, our results suggest that the diversification of aquatic insects (a key event of the "Mesozoic Lacustrine Revolution") had already begun by the Middle Triassic, providing new insights into the early evolution of freshwater ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- 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, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Su-Chin Chang
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - He 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
| | - Yan Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Chongqing Feng
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Guwei Xie
- Institute of Exploration, Development and Research of PetroChina Company Limited Changqing Oilfield Branch, Xi’an SX 710018, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Exploration and Development of Low-Permeability Oil and Gas Fields, Xi’an SX 710018, China
| | - Edmund A. Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - 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
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1, Beichen West Road, Beijing 100101, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Zhang Q, Mey W, Ansorge J, Starkey TA, McDonald LT, McNamara ME, Jarzembowski EA, Wichard W, Kelly R, Ren X, Chen J, Zhang H, Wang B. Fossil scales illuminate the early evolution of lepidopterans and structural colors. Sci Adv 2018; 4:e1700988. [PMID: 29651455 PMCID: PMC5895446 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Lepidopteran scales exhibit remarkably complex ultrastructures, many of which produce structural colors that are the basis for diverse communication strategies. Little is known, however, about the early evolution of lepidopteran scales and their photonic structures. We report scale architectures from Jurassic Lepidoptera from the United Kingdom, Germany, Kazakhstan, and China and from Tarachoptera (a stem group of Amphiesmenoptera) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. The Jurassic lepidopterans exhibit a type 1 bilayer scale vestiture: an upper layer of large fused cover scales and a lower layer of small fused ground scales. This scale arrangement, plus preserved herringbone ornamentation on the cover scale surface, is almost identical to those of some extant Micropterigidae. Critically, the fossil scale ultrastructures have periodicities measuring from 140 to 2000 nm and are therefore capable of scattering visible light, providing the earliest evidence of structural colors in the insect fossil record. Optical modeling confirms that diffraction-related scattering mechanisms dominate the photonic properties of the fossil cover scales, which would have displayed broadband metallic hues as in numerous extant Micropterigidae. The fossil tarachopteran scales exhibit a unique suite of characteristics, including small size, elongate-spatulate shape, ridged ornamentation, and irregular arrangement, providing novel insight into the early evolution of lepidopteran scales. Combined, our results provide the earliest evidence for structural coloration in fossil lepidopterans and support the hypothesis that fused wing scales and the type 1 bilayer covering are groundplan features of the group. Wing scales likely had deep origins in earlier amphiesmenopteran lineages before the appearance of the Lepidoptera.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Sciences and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Wolfram Mey
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute of Evolution and Biodiversity Research, Humboldt University, D-10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jörg Ansorge
- Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Greifswald, D-17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Timothy A. Starkey
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK
| | - Luke T. McDonald
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, North Mall, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
| | - Maria E. McNamara
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, North Mall, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
| | - Edmund A. Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Wilfried Wichard
- Institute of Biology and its Didactics, University of Cologne, D-50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Richard Kelly
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
- Department of Natural Sciences, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UK
| | - Xiaoyin Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Jun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, China
| | - Haichun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zheng D, Nel A, Wang H, Wang B, Jarzembowski EA, Chang SC, Zhang H. The first Late Triassic Chinese triadophlebiomorphan (Insecta: Odonatoptera): biogeographic implications. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1476. [PMID: 28469188 PMCID: PMC5431088 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01710-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The clade Triadophlebiomorpha represents a morphological ‘link’ between the Paleozoic griffenflies (Meganisoptera) and the modern taxa. Nevertheless they are relatively poorly known in the body structures and paleobiogeography. The Triassic dragonfly is extremely rare in China with only one previously recorded. A new family, Sinotriadophlebiidae Zheng, Nel et Zhang fam. nov., for the genus and species Sinotriadophlebia lini Zheng, Nel et Zhang gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Upper Triassic Baijiantan Formation of Xinjiang, northwestern China. It is the second Chinese Triassic odonatopteran and the second largest Mesozoic representative of this superorder in China. The discovery provides new information for the clade Triadophlebiomorpha during the Late Triassic and expands its distribution and diversity in Asia. The find reflects a close relationship between the two Triassic entomofaunas from Kyrgyzstan and the Junggar Basin, and provides a Carnian age constraint on the lowermost part of the Baijiantan Formation.
Collapse
|
11
|
Zheng D, Nel A, Jarzembowski EA, Chang SC, Zhang H, Xia F, Liu H, Wang B. Extreme adaptations for probable visual courtship behaviour in a Cretaceous dancing damselfly. Sci Rep 2017; 7:44932. [PMID: 28317876 PMCID: PMC5357891 DOI: 10.1038/srep44932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [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: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Courtship behaviours, frequent among modern insects, have left extremely rare fossil traces. None are known previously for fossil odonatans. Fossil traces of such behaviours are better known among the vertebrates, e.g. the hypertelic antlers of the Pleistocene giant deer Megaloceros giganteus. Here we describe spectacular extremely expanded, pod-like tibiae in males of a platycnemidid damselfly from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Such structures in modern damselflies, help to fend off other suitors as well as attract mating females, increasing the chances of successful mating. Modern Platycnemidinae and Chlorocyphidae convergently acquired similar but less developed structures. The new findings provide suggestive evidence of damselfly courtship behaviour as far back as the mid-Cretaceous. These data show an unexpected morphological disparity in dancing damselfly leg structure, and shed new light on mechanisms of sexual selection involving intra- and intersex reproductive competition during the Cretaceous.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daran Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China.,Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - André Nel
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB-UMR 7205-CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China.,Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Su-Chin Chang
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Haichun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
| | | | | | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China.,Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1, Beichen West Road, Beijing 100101, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Wang B, Xia F, Engel MS, Perrichot V, Shi G, Zhang H, Chen J, Jarzembowski EA, Wappler T, Rust J. Debris-carrying camouflage among diverse lineages of Cretaceous insects. Sci Adv 2016; 2:e1501918. [PMID: 27386568 PMCID: PMC4928993 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1501918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Insects have evolved diverse methods of camouflage that have played an important role in their evolutionary success. Debris-carrying, a behavior of actively harvesting and carrying exogenous materials, is among the most fascinating and complex behaviors because it requires not only an ability to recognize, collect, and carry materials but also evolutionary adaptations in related morphological characteristics. However, the fossil record of such behavior is extremely scarce, and only a single Mesozoic example from Spanish amber has been recorded; therefore, little is known about the early evolution of this complicated behavior and its underlying anatomy. We report a diverse insect assemblage of exceptionally preserved debris carriers from Cretaceous Burmese, French, and Lebanese ambers, including the earliest known chrysopoid larvae (green lacewings), myrmeleontoid larvae (split-footed lacewings and owlflies), and reduviids (assassin bugs). These ancient insects used a variety of debris material, including insect exoskeletons, sand grains, soil dust, leaf trichomes of gleicheniacean ferns, wood fibers, and other vegetal debris. They convergently evolved their debris-carrying behavior through multiple pathways, which expressed a high degree of evolutionary plasticity. We demonstrate that the behavioral repertoire, which is associated with considerable morphological adaptations, was already widespread among insects by at least the Mid-Cretaceous. Together with the previously known Spanish specimen, these fossils are the oldest direct evidence of camouflaging behavior in the fossil record. Our findings provide a novel insight into early evolution of camouflage in insects and ancient ecological associations among plants and insects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Corresponding author.
| | | | - Michael S. Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - Vincent Perrichot
- CNRS UMR 6118 Géosciences and OSUR, Université de Rennes 1, 35042 Rennes, France
| | - Gongle Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Haichun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Jun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, China
| | - Edmund A. Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Torsten Wappler
- Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jes Rust
- Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Wang B, Xia F, Wappler T, Simon E, Zhang H, Jarzembowski EA, Szwedo J. Brood care in a 100-million-year-old scale insect. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 25824055 PMCID: PMC4378507 DOI: 10.7554/elife.05447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [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: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 02/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavior of extinct organisms can be inferred only indirectly, but occasionally rare fossils document particular behaviors directly. Brood care, a remarkable behavior promoting the survival of the next generation, has evolved independently numerous times among animals including insects. However, fossil evidence of such a complex behavior is exceptionally scarce. Here, we report an ensign scale insect (Hemiptera: Ortheziidae), Wathondara kotejai gen. et sp. nov., from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, which preserves eggs within a wax ovisac, and several freshly hatched nymphs. The new fossil is the only Mesozoic record of an adult female scale insect. More importantly, our finding represents the earliest unequivocal direct evidence of brood care in the insect fossil record and demonstrates a remarkably conserved egg-brooding reproductive strategy within scale insects in stasis for nearly 100 million years. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05447.001 Many animals care for and protect their offspring to increase their survival and fitness. Insects care for their young using a range of strategies: some dig underground chambers for their young, whilst others carry their brood around on their own bodies. However, it was unclear when these strategies first evolved in insects. Now Wang et al. report that they have discovered the earliest fossil evidence of an insect caring for its young, in the form of a female insect preserved with her brood in a specimen of ancient amber. The amber comes from northern Myanmar, where amber deposits are around 95–105 million years old. The fossilised insect is an adult female scale insect with a cluster of around 60 eggs on her abdomen. Six young scale insect nymphs are also preserved in the same piece of amber. Wang et al. named this newly discovered species Wathondara kotejai, after an earth goddess in South-East Asian Buddhist mythology and the late Polish entomologist Jan Koteja. Most scale insect fossils found to date have been males. Fossilised adult females are scarcer, most likely because female scale insects are wingless and less mobile and therefore less prone to accidental burial. The fossil reported by Wang et al. is therefore a rare find, and it is also sufficiently well preserved to reveal that the female's eggs are contained within a wax-coated egg sac. Today there are many species of scale insects, most of which are parasites of plants and many are economically important pests of trees and shrubs. In living relatives of W. kotejai, females use a similar wax coating to protect themselves and their offspring: young nymphs hatch inside the egg sac and remain there for a few days before emerging into the outside world. This new fossil provides a unique insight into the anatomy and life cycle of a long-extinct insect; it also demonstrates that brood care in insects is an ancient trait that dates back to at least around 100 million years ago at the height of the age of the dinosaurs. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05447.002
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | | | | | - Ewa Simon
- Department of Zoology, University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Haichun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Jacek Szwedo
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Chen J, Wang B, Engel MS, Wappler T, Jarzembowski EA, Zhang H, Wang X, Zheng X, Rust J. Extreme adaptations for aquatic ectoparasitism in a Jurassic fly larva. eLife 2014; 3:e02844. [PMID: 24963142 PMCID: PMC4067894 DOI: 10.7554/elife.02844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [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: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The reconstruction of ancient insect ectoparasitism is challenging, mostly because of the extreme scarcity of fossils with obvious ectoparasitic features such as sucking-piercing mouthparts and specialized attachment organs. Here we describe a bizarre fly larva (Diptera), Qiyia jurassica gen. et sp. nov., from the Jurassic of China, that represents a stem group of the tabanomorph family Athericidae. Q. jurassica exhibits adaptations to an aquatic habitat. More importantly, it preserves an unusual combination of features including a thoracic sucker with six radial ridges, unique in insects, piercing-sucking mouthparts for fluid feeding, and crocheted ventral prolegs with upward directed bristles for anchoring and movement while submerged. We demonstrate that Q. jurassica was an aquatic ectoparasitic insect, probably feeding on the blood of salamanders. The finding reveals an extreme morphological specialization of fly larvae, and broadens our understanding of the diversity of ectoparasitism in Mesozoic insects. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02844.001 Parasites have been exploiting other organisms for millions of years. However, little is known about ancient parasitic insects, as it is rare to find fossils that are preserved well enough for them to be identified as parasites. This is particularly true for ectoparasitic insects, which live on the skin of their hosts. As a result, the only widely accepted ectoparasitic insect from the Mesozoic era is the giant flea, which infested dinosaurs, pterosaurs or mammals. Now, Chen, Wang, Engel et al. have discovered a new genus and species of ancient aquatic fly, which may be the earliest currently known aquatic ectoparasitic insect. Named Qiyia jurassica—after the Chinese word for ‘bizarre’ and the Jurassic period when it lived—its larva has a combination of features that mark it out as a parasitic ancestor of modern water snipe flies. In addition, the well-preserved fossilised larvae used to identify Q. jurassica have some more unusual features. The mouth of Q. jurassica had a structure commonly found in ectoparasites, designed to pierce skin and suck blood. The larva also had several features that were particularly well-adapted for gripping the host animal while underwater. The prolegs—stumpy fleshy structures found on the abdomen—were covered in bristles that pointed upwards, anchoring the larva in place. Q. jurassica also had an unusual sucker on its thorax that would have provided a firm grip that held its head still during feeding. Although many modern aquatic ectoparasites—like leeches—have suckers, the Q. jurassica sucker may be unique amongst insect larvae, as it has six large ridges and is covered in spines. Both features may have provided extra grip. Chen, Wang, Engel et al. suggest that Q. jurassica feasted on the blood of salamanders, as many salamander fossils have been found in the same region. The larvae could have attached to unexposed areas of the salamander—behind the gills, for example—where feeding would also have been easier due to the rich supply of blood vessels, and the thinner, more easily pierced skin. The wide range of features found on Q. jurassica suggests that Mesozoic ectoparasitic insects were more diverse than previously thought. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02844.002
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jun Chen
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, United States
| | | | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Haichun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Xiaoting Zheng
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi, China
| | - Jes Rust
- Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Liu Q, Zhang H, Wang B, Fang Y, Zheng D, Zhang Q, Jarzembowski EA. A new genus of Saucrosmylinae (Insecta, Neuroptera) from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. Zootaxa 2013; 3736:387-91. [PMID: 25112637 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3736.4.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
A new genus and new species of Saucrosmylinae (Insecta, Neuroptera) is described as Huiyingosmylus bellus gen. et sp. nov., based on a well-preserved forewing from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. Huiyingosmylus gen. nov. is characterized by the large size of forewing, relatively wide R1 space with several rows of cells, anteriorly bent Rs, dense crossveins over the entire wing and undulate outer margin. A key to the genera of Saucrosymylinae is provided.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China;
| | - Haichun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China; unknown
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China; unknown
| | - Yan Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China; unknown
| | - Daran Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China; unknown
| | - Qi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China; unknown
| | - Edmund A Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, PR China; unknown
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Wang B, Zhang H, Jarzembowski EA. Early Cretaceous angiosperms and beetle evolution. Front Plant Sci 2013; 4:360. [PMID: 24062759 PMCID: PMC3770909 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2013.00360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2013] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The Coleoptera (beetles) constitute almost one-fourth of all known life-forms on earth. They are also among the most important pollinators of flowering plants, especially basal angiosperms. Beetle fossils are abundant, almost spanning the entire Early Cretaceous, and thus provide important clues to explore the co-evolutionary processes between beetles and angiosperms. We review the fossil record of some Early Cretaceous polyphagan beetles including Tenebrionoidea, Scarabaeoidea, Curculionoidea, and Chrysomeloidea. Both the fossil record and molecular analyses reveal that these four groups had already diversified during or before the Early Cretaceous, clearly before the initial rise of angiosperms to widespread floristic dominance. These four beetle groups are important pollinators of basal angiosperms today, suggesting that their ecological association with angiosperms probably formed as early as in the Early Cretaceous. With the description of additional well-preserved fossils and improvements in phylogenetic analyses, our knowledge of Mesozoic beetle-angiosperm mutualisms will greatly increase during the near future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- Steinmann Institute, University of BonnBonn, Germany
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of SciencesNanjing, China
| | - Haichun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of SciencesNanjing, China
| | - Edmund A. Jarzembowski
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of SciencesNanjing, China
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History MuseumLondon, UK
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Zhang H, Zheng D, Wang B, Fang Y, Jarzembowski EA. The largest known odonate in China: Hsiufua chaoi Zhang et Wang, gen. et sp. nov. from the middle jurassic of inner mongolia. Chin Sci Bull 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-012-5567-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
18
|
Jarzembowski EA. Taxonomy debate signing off. Nature 1989; 339:669. [PMID: 2739713 DOI: 10.1038/339669b0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
|
19
|
Whalley PES, Jarzembowski EA. Fossil insects from the lithographic limenstone of Montsech (late Jurassic-early Cretaceous), Lérida Province, Spain. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1985. [DOI: 10.5962/bhl.part.5051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|