Early specializations for mimicry and defense in a Jurassic stick insect

• 来源期刊: 国家科学评论（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2021,（1）
• 所属期刊栏目: RESEARCH ARTICLES
• 页码范围: 141-150
• 页数: 10页
• 语种: 英文
• DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwaa056

摘要

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 the body,such as those of the sterna and pleura,as well as defensive femoral spines.The new fossil provides clues into early antipredator defensive strategies,allows inferences as to the potential environment and predators,and reveals the mimetic and defensive mechanisms of stick insects from 165 million years ago.