DOAJ Open Access 2020

Mimicry in Cretaceous Bugs

Erik Tihelka Michael S. Engel Diying Huang Chenyang Cai

Abstrak

Summary: Mimicry is ubiquitous in nature, yet understanding its origin and evolution is complicated by the scarcity of exceptional fossils that enable behavioral inferences about extinct animals. Here we report bizarre true bugs (Hemiptera) that closely resemble beetles (Coleoptera) from mid-Cretaceous amber. The unusual fossil bugs are described as Bersta vampirica gen. et sp. nov. and Bersta coleopteromorpha gen. et sp. nov. and are placed into a new family, Berstidae fam. nov. The specialized mouthparts of berstids indicate that they were predaceous on small arthropods. Their striking beetle-like appearance implies that they were either involved in defensive mimicry or mimicked beetles to attack unsuspecting prey. The latter would represent the first case of aggressive mimicry in the invertebrate fossil record. These findings enrich our understanding of the paleoecological associations and extinct behavioral strategies of Mesozoic insects.

Topik & Kata Kunci

Science

Penulis (4)

Erik Tihelka

Michael S. Engel

Diying Huang

Chenyang Cai

Format Sitasi

APA MLA BibTeX

Tihelka, E., Engel, M.S., Huang, D., Cai, C. (2020). Mimicry in Cretaceous Bugs. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101280

Akses Cepat

PDF tidak tersedia langsung

Cek di sumber asli →

Lihat di Sumber doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101280

Informasi Jurnal

Tahun Terbit: 2020
Sumber Database: DOAJ
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101280
Akses: Open Access ✓