Department of Biology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200234, P. R. China.
Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, P. R. China.
Sci Rep. 2017 Mar 7;7(1):98. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00187-8.
Insects exhibit a variety of morphological specializations specific to particular behaviors, and these permit the reconstruction of palaeobiological traits. Despite the critical importance of predator-prey strategies in insect evolution, the appearance of particular aspects of predation are often difficult to determine from the fossil record of hexapods. Here we report the discovery of highly specialized, mid-Cretaceous ant-like stone beetles (Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae) displaying morphological modifications unknown among living scydmaenids and associated with predation on springtails (Collembola), a widespread and abundant group of significantly greater geological age. Cascomastigus monstrabilis gen. et sp. nov. exhibits an extremely large body size, elongate clubbed maxillary palpi, toothed mandibles, and more importantly, slender and highly modified antennae that functioned as an antennal setal trap. Such an antennal modification is analogous to that of the modern ground beetle genus Loricera (Carabidae: Loricerinae), a group possessing a specialized antennal setal trap exclusively for the capture of springtails. The presence of an identical antennal setal trap in C. monstrabilis demonstrates a unique and dramatic form of obligate predation among the late Mesozoic insects.
昆虫表现出各种特定于特定行为的形态特化，这些特化允许重建古生物学特征。尽管捕食者-猎物策略在昆虫进化中至关重要，但特定捕食方面的出现往往难以从六足动物的化石记录中确定。在这里，我们报告了高度特化的中白垩世类似蚂蚁的石甲虫（隐翅虫科：隐翅虫亚科）的发现，这些甲虫表现出了与捕食跳虫（弹尾目）相关的未知的现存隐翅虫形态修饰，跳虫是一个广泛且丰富的、地质年代明显更早的群体。Cascomastigus monstrabilis gen. et sp. nov. 表现出非常大的体型、长而棒状的下颚触须、有齿的下颚以及更重要的是，细长且高度修饰的触角，这些触角作为触角毛状陷阱起作用。这种触角修饰类似于现代步甲科（步甲科：步甲亚科）的地老虎属（Loricera），该属拥有一种专门的触角毛状陷阱，专门用于捕捉跳虫。在 C. monstrabilis 中存在相同的触角毛状陷阱，证明了晚中生代昆虫中存在一种独特而引人注目的强制性捕食形式。
