title: Ancient pinnate leaf mimesis among lacewings.
abstract: Insects have evolved diverse methods of predator avoidance, many of which implicate complex adaptations of their wings (e.g., Phylliidae, Nymphalidae, Notodontidae). Among these, angiosperm leaf mimicry is one of the most dramatic, although the historical origins of such modifications are unclear owing to a dearth of paleontological records. Here, we report evidence of pinnate leaf mimesis in two lacewings (Neuroptera): Bellinympha filicifolia Y. Wang, Ren, Liu & Engel gen. et sp. nov. and Bellinympha dancei Y. Wang, Ren, Shih & Engel, sp. nov., from the Middle Jurassic, representing a 165-million-year-old specialization between insects and contemporaneous gymnosperms of the Cycadales or Bennettitales. Furthermore, such lacewings demonstrate a preangiosperm origin for leaf mimesis, revealing a lost evolutionary scenario of interactions between insects and gymnosperms. The current fossil record suggests that this enigmatic lineage became extinct during the Early Cretaceous, apparently closely correlated with the decline of Cycadales and Bennettitales at that time, and perhaps owing to the changing floral environment resulted from the rise of flowering plants.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China.
authors.forename: Yongjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhiqi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chungkun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Yunyun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002681:China; D032462:Cycadopsida / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005580:Fossils; D007313:Insecta / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
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