Year: 1999
Type: article
Abstract: The origins of many groups of flower-visiting insects are generally believed to have been in the Cretaceous.However, a recent hypothesis has concluded that many modern families of insects originated in the Jurassic, and that the on critical and phylogenetic interpretation of Mesozoic fossils, that radiations of major anthophilic groups of insects took place in the late part of the Lower Cretaceous to Upper Cretaceous: the bees (Apoidea/Apidae sensu lato), pollen wasps (Vespidae: Masarin ae), various families of brachyceran flies (Acroceridae, Apioc eridae, Bombyliidae, Empididae, thes sects, a more mined understanding of the timing of Cretaceous insect-angiosperm co-radiations, cause and effect relationships remain obscure.Working оп a group of organisms with perhaps 5 beginning in the Carboniferous with the Paleodicmillion species, entomologists are not easily im-tyopteroidea (Taylor & Scott, 1983; Labandeira, pressed by groups other than insects.Nonetheless, is assemblage of extinct insect orders had even they admit to the central role that the angio-Ruine mouthparts, presumably used for obtaining sperms have in terrestrial communities.Based sim-plant fluids or reaching into small spaces, such as ply on the dazzling array of colors, patterns, and the sporangia of Carboniferous medullosan pterimorphologies of flowers specialized for attracting dosperms.Indeed, the very large pollen (to 600 ¡um insects, it is reasonable to estimate that at least diam.) of some of these plants is thought to have two-thirds of the 250,000-300,000 living angio-precluded wind pollination, and they may have sperm species are insect pollinated.On this basis been pollinated by paleodictyopterans.It was the alone insects would be the most ecologically im-Coleoptera, though, that clearly set the stage for portant group of terrestrial animals, without even pollination of the early seed plants, probably betaking into consideration their other ecological ginning as early as the debut of beetles in the roles.The intimate and obligate associations that Permian (reviewed in Carpenter, 1992).Evidence have evolved between thousands of species of an-that Mesozoic beetles were significant pollinators is giosperms and insects are among the most signifi-largely circumstantial, and is based on the fact that cant mutualistic relationships to occur among all various kinds of beetles today are facultative, and organisms.Understanding the origins of this rela-some even obligate, visitors to flowers of generaltionship is, thus, hardly a trivial consideration.ized morphology and exposed floral rewards (Arm-Insects feeding on, or from, the reproductive strong & Irvine, 1990; Dafni et al., 1990; Gazit et structures of plants is an ancient habit, probably al., 1982;Proctor et al., 1996).For example, En-! Thanks are due to colleagues at the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences who provided T1 on published and unpublished records: Vladimir Zherikhin, Miskhail Mostovsky, and Alexandr Rasnitsyn John Wenzel (Ohio State Univ.) provided advice on fossil aculeate nests; Michael Engel (Cornell Univ.) provided Канан, end advice on fossil bees; and Tam Nguyen (AMNH Entomology) did the graphics.The research by David Yeates (Univ.Queensland)-much of it done as a postdoc at the AMNH from 1990 to 1992-allowed а th of an discussion here on bombyliid flies.The original на was vastly improved by comments and advice Williar Crepet, = Marie Friis, Niels Kristensen, and Conra bs к with especi ially detailed commen didi j^ eter Crane.| am very appreciative to the ie Institute, Moscow, for permission to reproduc e figures from their losas bat to Agriculture and AgriFood Canada for publication of figures from vols. 1 and 2 of the "Manual of m Nearctic Diptera," reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services C ск 1998
DOI: 10.2307/2666181
Author: David Grimaldi
Language: English
Topic: Fossil Insects in Amber
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2020987611