Laaß Michael, Luthardt Ludwig, Trümper Steffen, Leipner Angelika, Hauschke Norbert, Rößler Ronny
Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz, Chemnitz, Germany.
TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Geological Institute, Freiberg, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 25;15(1):31241. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-15413-x.
Leaf-mining is a complex insect feeding behaviour that provides various advantages for reproduction success. The evolutionary origin within the holometabolan clade was hypothesised to have first occurred in the early Mesozoic. We re-examined the controversial feeding trace of Asteronomus maeandriformis, which is abundant in an early Permian plant fossil assemblage from central Germany. We applied multiple optical and chemical analysis techniques to unravel the distinctive morphological patterns of these insect traces. The feeding traces represent tunnels within the leaf laminae, pointing to an endophytic feeding style. In addition, we found numerous oviposition sites that exhibit a direct association with the tunnels and were most likely produced by the same organisms. At the investigated locality, more than 80% of the abundant foliage of Autunia conferta (Peltaspermales) was affected, indicating a host-specific mass infestation by the producer. Our results unequivocally show that endophytic feeding behaviour evolved in the holometabolan clade at least by the earliest Permian and, therefore, more than 40 Ma earlier than hypothesised. The findings reveal complex organism interactions in late Palaeozoic ecosystems that may have evolved in response to global environmental change, leading to drier conditions in the palaeotropics.
潜叶是一种复杂的昆虫取食行为，对繁殖成功具有多种优势。全变态类分支内的进化起源被推测最早发生在中生代早期。我们重新审视了在德国中部早二叠世植物化石组合中大量存在的Maeandriformis asteronomus的有争议的取食痕迹。我们应用了多种光学和化学分析技术来揭示这些昆虫痕迹独特的形态模式。这些取食痕迹表现为叶片内部的隧道，表明是一种内生取食方式。此外，我们发现了许多产卵点，它们与隧道有直接关联，很可能是由同一生物产生的。在研究地点，超过80%的密集的Autunia conferta（盾籽目）叶片受到影响，表明生产者对宿主有特异性的大规模侵扰。我们的结果明确表明，内生取食行为至少在早二叠世就在全变态类分支中进化了，因此比之前假设的时间早了4000多万年。这些发现揭示了晚古生代生态系统中复杂的生物相互作用，这些相互作用可能是对全球环境变化的响应而进化的，导致古热带地区气候变干。
