A Cretaceous Chafer Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with Exaggerated Hind Legs—Insight from Comparative Functional Morphology into a Possible Spring Movement
The phenomenon of exaggerated morphological structures has fascinated people for centuries. Beetles of the family Scarabaeidae show many very diverse exaggerated characters, for example, a variety of horns, enlarged mandibles or elongated antennal lamellae. Here, we report a new Mesozoic scarab, <...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/2/237 |
| _version_ | 1797622291450822656 |
|---|---|
| author | Yuanyuan Lu Dirk Ahrens Chungkun Shih Josh Jenkins Shaw Xingke Yang Dong Ren Ming Bai |
| author_facet | Yuanyuan Lu Dirk Ahrens Chungkun Shih Josh Jenkins Shaw Xingke Yang Dong Ren Ming Bai |
| author_sort | Yuanyuan Lu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The phenomenon of exaggerated morphological structures has fascinated people for centuries. Beetles of the family Scarabaeidae show many very diverse exaggerated characters, for example, a variety of horns, enlarged mandibles or elongated antennal lamellae. Here, we report a new Mesozoic scarab, <i>Antiqusolidus maculatus</i> gen. <i>et</i> sp. n. from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (~125 Ma), which has unusually robust and structured hind legs with greatly enlarged spurs and a unique elongated apical process. Based on simulations and finite element analyses, the function of these structures is hypothesized to support springing to aid movement and fighting. Based on available morphological characters, we performed phylogenetic analyses (maximum parsimony) of the main subfamilies and families of Scarabaeoidea. The results support the placement of <i>Antiqusolidus</i> gen. n. as a sister group of Rutelinae within the phytophagous lineage of pleurostict Scarabaeidae. Furthermore, the unusual delicate color marking patterns in the fossil specimens suggest that the new species might have been diurnal and potentially visited the leaves or flowers of Early Cretaceous plants. This morphological and functional study on this extinct scarab species provides new sights into exaggerated structures in Mesozoic insects. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:08:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-94093598acb5487b81d6ec48a1b7e945 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:08:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-94093598acb5487b81d6ec48a1b7e9452023-11-16T19:13:33ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372023-02-0112223710.3390/biology12020237A Cretaceous Chafer Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with Exaggerated Hind Legs—Insight from Comparative Functional Morphology into a Possible Spring MovementYuanyuan Lu0Dirk Ahrens1Chungkun Shih2Josh Jenkins Shaw3Xingke Yang4Dong Ren5Ming Bai6Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaZoologisches Forschungsmuseum A. Koenig, Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, GermanyCollege of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, ChinaKey Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaKey Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences and Academy for Multidisciplinary Studies, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, ChinaKey Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaThe phenomenon of exaggerated morphological structures has fascinated people for centuries. Beetles of the family Scarabaeidae show many very diverse exaggerated characters, for example, a variety of horns, enlarged mandibles or elongated antennal lamellae. Here, we report a new Mesozoic scarab, <i>Antiqusolidus maculatus</i> gen. <i>et</i> sp. n. from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (~125 Ma), which has unusually robust and structured hind legs with greatly enlarged spurs and a unique elongated apical process. Based on simulations and finite element analyses, the function of these structures is hypothesized to support springing to aid movement and fighting. Based on available morphological characters, we performed phylogenetic analyses (maximum parsimony) of the main subfamilies and families of Scarabaeoidea. The results support the placement of <i>Antiqusolidus</i> gen. n. as a sister group of Rutelinae within the phytophagous lineage of pleurostict Scarabaeidae. Furthermore, the unusual delicate color marking patterns in the fossil specimens suggest that the new species might have been diurnal and potentially visited the leaves or flowers of Early Cretaceous plants. This morphological and functional study on this extinct scarab species provides new sights into exaggerated structures in Mesozoic insects.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/2/237scarab beetlesexaggerated hind legsspringingfightingphytophagousCretaceous fossil |
| spellingShingle | Yuanyuan Lu Dirk Ahrens Chungkun Shih Josh Jenkins Shaw Xingke Yang Dong Ren Ming Bai A Cretaceous Chafer Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with Exaggerated Hind Legs—Insight from Comparative Functional Morphology into a Possible Spring Movement Biology scarab beetles exaggerated hind legs springing fighting phytophagous Cretaceous fossil |
| title | A Cretaceous Chafer Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with Exaggerated Hind Legs—Insight from Comparative Functional Morphology into a Possible Spring Movement |
| title_full | A Cretaceous Chafer Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with Exaggerated Hind Legs—Insight from Comparative Functional Morphology into a Possible Spring Movement |
| title_fullStr | A Cretaceous Chafer Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with Exaggerated Hind Legs—Insight from Comparative Functional Morphology into a Possible Spring Movement |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Cretaceous Chafer Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with Exaggerated Hind Legs—Insight from Comparative Functional Morphology into a Possible Spring Movement |
| title_short | A Cretaceous Chafer Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with Exaggerated Hind Legs—Insight from Comparative Functional Morphology into a Possible Spring Movement |
| title_sort | cretaceous chafer beetle coleoptera scarabaeidae with exaggerated hind legs insight from comparative functional morphology into a possible spring movement |
| topic | scarab beetles exaggerated hind legs springing fighting phytophagous Cretaceous fossil |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/2/237 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yuanyuanlu acretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT dirkahrens acretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT chungkunshih acretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT joshjenkinsshaw acretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT xingkeyang acretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT dongren acretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT mingbai acretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT yuanyuanlu cretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT dirkahrens cretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT chungkunshih cretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT joshjenkinsshaw cretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT xingkeyang cretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT dongren cretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement AT mingbai cretaceouschaferbeetlecoleopterascarabaeidaewithexaggeratedhindlegsinsightfromcomparativefunctionalmorphologyintoapossiblespringmovement |