TY - JOUR
T1 - Miocene caddisflies from Australia: iron-rich sediments preserve internal organs, tracheoles, and corneal nanocoating of larvae and pupae
AU - FRESE, Michael
AU - McCurry, Matthew R.
AU - Wells, Alice
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank N. McGrath and L. and G. Gale for their generosity and access to the site, M.J. Hensley for assistance with the excavations, and the numerous volunteers who spent many hours splitting rocks and collecting fossils. Furthermore, we thank F. Brink and C.E. Frigo for technical assistance and R. Oberprieler for helpful discussions and critically reading the manuscript. R. Thomson is thanked for the specimens of Phylocentropus from the University of Minnesota Collection. We acknowledge the scientific and technical assistance of Microscopy Australia, especially from the Centre for Advanced Microscopy at the Australian National University (jointly funded by the Australian National University and the Australian Federal Government). Two external reviewers are thanked for their speedy reviews and encouraging feedback. Finally, we wish to acknowledge the Wiradjuri people, the traditional owners of the land on which the fossil site is located.
Funding Information:
Our research was supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council\u2019s Linkage Projects funding scheme (project LP210301049) and through a donation from the Etheridge family descendants.
Funding Information:
We thank N. McGrath and L. and G. Gale for their generosity and ac\u00ACcess to the site, M.J. Hensley for assistance with the excavations, and the numerous volunteers who spent many hours splitting rocks and collecting fossils. Furthermore, we thank F. Brink and C.E. Frigo for technical assistance and R. Oberprieler for helpful discussions and critically reading the manuscript. R. Thomson is thanked for the spe\u00ACcimens of Phylocentropus from the University of Minnesota Collection. We acknowledge the scientific and technical assistance of Microscopy Australia, especially from the Centre for Advanced Microscopy at the Australian National University (jointly funded by the Australian National University and the Australian Federal Government). Two ex\u00ACternal reviewers are thanked for their speedy reviews and encouraging feedback. Finally, we wish to acknowledge the Wiradjuri people, the traditional owners of the land on which the fossil site is located. Our research was supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council's Linkage Projects funding scheme (pro\u00ACject LP210301049) and through a donation from the Etheridge family descendants.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Linnean Society of London.
PY - 2024/11/1
Y1 - 2024/11/1
N2 - Trichoptera (caddisflies) are insects with terrestrial adults and aquatic larvae. Although caddisflies spend most of their lives as larvae and pupate in the water, fossils of these stages are rarely found. However, ~100 pupae and uncased larvae were discovered at McGraths Flat, an Australian Miocene Lagerstätte. Many of the fossils are extremely well preserved. In addition to external features that include a spinneret among the mouthparts and claws on the abdominal prolegs, some larvae show silk glands, parts of the gastrointestinal tract, and tracheoles. The pupae are all at the pharate stage; in some, large compound eyes can be seen, and some exhibit male genitalia. Scanning electron microscopy revealed ommatidial structures, such as rhabdoms, corneas, and most remarkably the corneal nanocoating. Two caddisfly morphotypes are preserved at McGraths Flat. The larger morphotype belongs to the suborder Annulipalpia and can be assigned, most probably, to the family Dipseudopsidae. The smaller morphotype closely resembles extant members of the family Hydroptilidae (suborder Spicipalpia). No adult caddisflies or individual wings, no immature pupae, and no larval or pupal cases have been found in the deposit. This unusual fossil record suggests an unstable palaeoenvironment characterized by abrupt change.
AB - Trichoptera (caddisflies) are insects with terrestrial adults and aquatic larvae. Although caddisflies spend most of their lives as larvae and pupate in the water, fossils of these stages are rarely found. However, ~100 pupae and uncased larvae were discovered at McGraths Flat, an Australian Miocene Lagerstätte. Many of the fossils are extremely well preserved. In addition to external features that include a spinneret among the mouthparts and claws on the abdominal prolegs, some larvae show silk glands, parts of the gastrointestinal tract, and tracheoles. The pupae are all at the pharate stage; in some, large compound eyes can be seen, and some exhibit male genitalia. Scanning electron microscopy revealed ommatidial structures, such as rhabdoms, corneas, and most remarkably the corneal nanocoating. Two caddisfly morphotypes are preserved at McGraths Flat. The larger morphotype belongs to the suborder Annulipalpia and can be assigned, most probably, to the family Dipseudopsidae. The smaller morphotype closely resembles extant members of the family Hydroptilidae (suborder Spicipalpia). No adult caddisflies or individual wings, no immature pupae, and no larval or pupal cases have been found in the deposit. This unusual fossil record suggests an unstable palaeoenvironment characterized by abrupt change.
KW - anatomy
KW - Insecta
KW - Miocene
KW - palaeontology
KW - scanning electron microscopy
KW - soft tissue reconstruction
KW - taxa
KW - techniques
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85199175964&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae003
DO - 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae003
M3 - Article
SN - 0024-4082
VL - 202
SP - 1
EP - 16
JO - Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
JF - Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
IS - 3
M1 - zlae003
ER -