Zhang Qingqing, Wang Bo
State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of SciencesNanjing, China.
University of Science and Technology of ChinaHefei, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2017 Apr 24;8:631. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00631. eCollection 2017.
The Diptera (true flies) is one of the most species-abundant orders of Insecta, and it is also among the most important flower-visiting insects. Dipteran fossils are abundant in the Mesozoic, especially in the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Here, we review the fossil record and early evolution of some Mesozoic lower brachyceran flies together with new records in Burmese amber, including Tabanidae, Nemestrinidae, Bombyliidae, Eremochaetidae, and Zhangsolvidae. The fossil records reveal that some flower-visiting groups had diversified during the mid-Cretaceous, consistent with the rise of angiosperms to widespread floristic dominance. These brachyceran groups played an important role in the origin of co-evolutionary relationships with basal angiosperms. Moreover, the rise of angiosperms not only improved the diversity of flower-visiting flies, but also advanced the turnover and evolution of other specialized flies.
双翅目（真蝇类）是昆虫纲中物种最为丰富的目之一，也是最重要的访花昆虫之一。双翅目化石在中生代十分丰富，尤其是在晚侏罗世和早白垩世。在此，我们回顾了一些中生代低等短角亚目蝇类的化石记录和早期演化，并介绍缅甸琥珀中的新记录，包括虻科、长足虻科、食蚜蝇科、裸芒蝇科和张氏蝇科。化石记录显示，一些访花类群在白垩纪中期已经分化，这与被子植物崛起并在植物区系中占据广泛优势相一致。这些短角亚目类群在与基部被子植物的协同进化关系起源中发挥了重要作用。此外，被子植物的崛起不仅增加了访花蝇类的多样性，还推动了其他特化蝇类的更替和演化。
