Haug Joachim T, Müller Patrick, Haug Carolin
1Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Biocenter, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg, Martinsried Germany.
2GeoBio-Center at LMU, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333 Munich, Germany.
Zoological Lett. 2019 Aug 30;5:29. doi: 10.1186/s40851-019-0144-0. eCollection 2019.
Biological diversity is a hot topic in current research, especially its observed decrease in modern times. Investigations of past ecosystems offer additional insights to help better understand the processes underlying biodiversity. The Cretaceous period is of special interest in this context, especially with respect to arthropods. During that period, representatives of many modern lineages appeared for the first time, while representatives of more ancient groups also co-occurred. At the same time, side branches of radiating groups with 'experimental morphologies' emerged that seemed to go extinct shortly afterwards. However, larval forms, with their morphological diversity, are largely neglected in such studies, but may provide important insights into morphological and ecological diversity and its changes in the past.
We present here a new fossil insectan larva, a larval lacewing, in Cretaceous amber, exhibiting a rather unusual, 'experimental' morphology. The specimen possesses extremely large (in relation to body size) mandibulo-maxillary piercing stylets. Additionally, the labial palps are very long and are subdivided into numerous elements, overall appearing antenniform. In other aspects, the larva resembles many other neuropteran-type larvae.
We provide a comparison that includes quantitative aspects of different types of neuropteran larvae to emphasise the exceptionality of the new larva, and discuss its possible relationships to known lineages of Neuroptera; possible interpretations are closer relationships to Dilaridae or Osmylidae. In any case, several of the observed characters must have evolved convergently. With this new find, we expand the known morphological diversity of neuropterans in the Cretaceous fauna.
生物多样性是当前研究中的一个热门话题，尤其是其在现代出现的减少现象。对过去生态系统的研究提供了更多见解，有助于更好地理解生物多样性背后的过程。在这方面，白垩纪时期特别令人感兴趣，尤其是对于节肢动物而言。在那个时期，许多现代谱系的代表首次出现，同时更古老类群的代表也同时存在。与此同时，出现了具有“实验形态”的辐射类群的旁支，这些旁支似乎不久后就灭绝了。然而，具有形态多样性的幼虫形态在这类研究中大多被忽视，但可能为过去的形态和生态多样性及其变化提供重要见解。
我们在此展示了一种保存在白垩纪琥珀中的新化石昆虫幼虫——幼虫草蛉，它呈现出一种相当不寻常的“实验性”形态。该标本拥有极大的（相对于身体大小）上颚 - 下颚穿刺口针。此外，唇须非常长，且细分为许多节，整体呈现出触角状。在其他方面，该幼虫与许多其他脉翅目类型的幼虫相似。
我们进行了一项比较，包括不同类型脉翅目幼虫的定量方面，以强调这种新幼虫的独特性，并讨论它与已知脉翅目谱系的可能关系；可能的解释是与蚊蛉科或栉角蛉科有更密切的关系。无论如何，观察到的几个特征肯定是趋同进化的。通过这一新发现，我们扩展了白垩纪动物群中脉翅目已知的形态多样性。
