Newly analyzed amber fossils have helped scientists characterize the evolutionary history of myrmeleontiformia, a group of lacewing insects that includes antlions and is distinguished by predatory larvae and unusual morphologies.

Because the larvae of antlions and their relatives fail to fossilize outside amber inclusions, the fossil record is limited. The newly surveyed Burmese amber fossils, hailing from the mid-Cretaceous, allowed scientists to compare extant and extinct myrmeleontiformia taxa.

Analysis of the 99-million-year-old amber fossils showed myrmeleontiformia morphologies didn't change much during the subsequent 100 million years, through the end of the Cretaceous.

The findings -- published this week in the journal Nature Communications -- suggest antlions continued to deploy the same variety of unique behaviors and morphological adaptations throughout the Cretaceous.

"This morphological stasis helped in reconstructing behaviors not preserved by a trace in the fossil record," researchers wrote in a news release. "Inference of these behaviors sheds light on the ecological niche and lifestyle of extinct myrmeleontiformia."

The amber fossils suggest antlions and their relatives adopted the use of camouflage and fossoriality early during their evolutionary history. Fossil evidence suggests the ambush predators dug into the dirt, covering themselves with debris. The debris accentuated the natural camouflage of antlions and their relatives, helping them surprise unsuspecting prey.

"All of these camouflaging lacewings were equipped with elongate protuberances," researchers wrote in their paper. "The strong statistical correlation retrieved between the presence of these protuberances and camouflage demonstrates that this trait is an indicator of such behavior."

Related Links
Explore The Early Earth at TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Earth's earliest animals were strange sea creatures millions of centuries ago
Washington (UPI) Aug 21, 2018
New fossil analysis suggests the planet's earliest known animals emerged at least 571 million years ago. The new study - published this month in the journal Paleontology - proves members of the Ediacaran biota are indeed animals and were diversifying for several million years before the acceleration of speciation known as the Cambrian explosion. Scientists recovered the first Stromatoveris psygmoglena fossil in the mid-20th century. The frond-like sea creature baffled paleontologists f ... read more