The Morphological Diversity of Dragon Lacewing Larvae (Nevrorthidae, Neuroptera) Changed More over Geological Time Scales Than Anticipated
Author:
Mengel Laura1, Linhart Simon1, Haug Gideon T.1, Weiterschan Thomas2, Müller Patrick3, Hoffeins Christel4, Hoffeins Hans-Werner4, Baranov Viktor5, Haug Carolin16ORCID, Haug Joachim T.16ORCID
Affiliation:
1. Faculty of Biology, Biocenter, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany 2. Independent Researcher, 64739 Höchst im Odenwald, Germany 3. Independent Researcher, 66482 Zweibrücken, Germany 4. Independent Researcher, 22149 Hamburg, Germany 5. Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, 41092 Sevilla, Spain 6. GeoBio-Center at LMU, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333 München, Germany
Abstract
Nevrorthidae, the group of dragon lacewings, has often been considered a relic group. Today, dragon lacewings show a scattered distribution, with some species occurring in southern Europe, Japan, Australia, and one in China. The idea that this distribution is only a remnant of an originally larger distribution is further supported by fossils of the group preserved in ambers from the Baltic region (Eocene, ca. 35–40 MaBP) and Myanmar (Kachin amber, Cretaceous, ca. 100 MaBP). Larvae of the group are slender and elongated and live mostly in water. Yet, larvae are in fact very rare. So far, only slightly more than 30 larval specimens, counting all extant and fossil larvae, have been depicted in the literature. Here, we report numerous additional specimens, including extant larvae, but also fossil ones from Baltic and Kachin amber. Together with the already known ones, this sums up to over 100 specimens. We analysed quantitative aspects of the morphology of these larvae and compared them over time to identify changes in the diversity. Despite the enriched sample size, the data set is still unbalanced, with, for example, newly hatched larvae (several dozen specimens) only known from the Eocene. We expected little change in larval morphology over geological time, as indicated by earlier studies. However, on the contrary, we recognised morphologies present in fossils that are now extinct. This result is similar to those for other groups of lacewings which have a relic distribution today, as these have also suffered a loss in diversity in larval forms.
Funder
Volkswagen Foundation German Research Foundation Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Spain) Ramon y Cajal Fellowship
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