Independent wing reductions and losses among stick and leaf insects (Phasmatodea), supported by new Cretaceous fossils in amber.

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 confi

SUBMITTER: Yang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10561512 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature