Multiple Ancient Origins Of Neoteny In Lycidae (Coleoptera): Consequences For Ecology And Macroevolution

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 14 May 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Trilobite larvae are spectacular, primitive looking insects, recognised as the females of particular net-winged beetles (Lycidae).

They are neotenics (= remaining young) which do not pupate and remain obligatory larviform when sexually mature. Neoteny permits evolutionary novelty, but most lineages are evolutionarily short-lived or may reverse to full adult development to escape changing environmental conditions.

Using DNA sequences we show that neotenic Lycidae are very ancient and evolved independently in the tropics of Asia, Africa and South America.

They persisted in the stable environment of the world's most ancient rain forests, showing a unique strategy for generating and maintaing evolutionary diversity.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences