Early specializations for mimicry and defense in a Jurassic stick insect.

ABSTRACT: Mimicry and secondary defense are staples among predator-prey interactions. Among insects, the stick and leaf insects are masters of camouflage. Nonetheless, a meager understanding of their origin and early mimetic evolution persists. Here, we report the earliest mimetic and defensive strategies of a stick insect from the Middle Jurassic of China, Aclistophasma echinulatum gen. et sp. nov., exquisitely preserving abdominal extensions and femoral spines. The distribution of these characteristics mapped onto the phylogeny of Phasmatodea reveals that abdominal extensions and femoral spines developed multiple times during the evolution of stick insects, and indicates that the origin of abdominal extensions predates other modifications, while tergal extensions predate other expansions of

SUBMITTER: Yang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8288419 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature