Du Bao-Jie, Chen Rui, Tao Wen-Tao, Shi Hong-Liang, Bu Wen-Jun, Liu Ye, Ma Shuai, Ni Meng-Ya, Kong Fan-Li, Xiao Jin-Hua, Huang Da-Wei
Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
iScience. 2020 Dec 11;24(1):101932. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101932. eCollection 2021 Jan 22.
Sexual selection can favor production of exaggerated features, but the high cost of such features in terms of energy consumption and enemy avoidance makes them go to extinction under the influence of natural selection. However, fossils preserved with specialized features are very rare. Here, we report a new nymph from Burmese amber, Du & Chen gen. et sp. nov., which has exaggerated leaf-like expanded antennae. Such bizarre antennae indicate that sensitive and delicate sensory system and magnificent appearance in Hemiptera have been already established in mid-Cretaceous. Our findings may provide evidence for Darwin's view that sensory organs play an important role in sexual selection. This nymph with the leaf-like antennae may also represents a new camouflage pattern. However, the oversized antennae are costly to develop and maintain, increasing the risks from predators. Such unparalleled expanded antennae might be the key factor for the evolutionary fate of the coreid.
性选择可能有利于夸张特征的产生，但这些特征在能量消耗和躲避天敌方面成本高昂，这使得它们在自然选择的影响下走向灭绝。然而，保存有特殊特征的化石非常罕见。在这里，我们报道了一枚来自缅甸琥珀的新若虫，杜氏陈氏若虫（新属新种），它具有夸张的叶状扩展触角。这种奇异的触角表明半翅目昆虫中敏感而精致的感觉系统和华丽的外表在白垩纪中期就已确立。我们的发现可能为达尔文的观点提供证据，即感觉器官在性选择中起重要作用。这只具有叶状触角的若虫也可能代表一种新的伪装模式。然而，超大的触角发育和维持成本高昂，增加了被捕食者攻击的风险。这种无与伦比的扩展触角可能是缘蝽进化命运的关键因素。
