Abstract
Megasecoptera are insects with haustellate mouthparts and petiolate wings closely related to Palaeodictyoptera and one of the few insect groups that didn’t survive the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. Recent discovery of Brodioptera sinensis in early Pennsylvanian deposits at Xiaheyan in northern China has increased our knowledge of its external morphology using conventional optical stereomicroscopy. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) of structures, such as antennae, mouthparts, wing surfaces, external copulatory organs and cerci have shed light on their micromorphology and supposed function. A comparative study has shown an unexpected dense pattern of setae on the wing membrane of B. sinensis. In addition, unlike the results obtained by stereomicroscopy it revealed that the male and female external genitalia clearly differ in their fine structure and setation. Therefore, the present study resulted in a closer examination of the microstructure and function of previously poorly studied parts of the body of Paleozoic insects and a comparison with homologous structures occurring in other Palaeodictyopteroida, Odonatoptera and Ephemerida. This indicates, that the role and presumptive function of these integumental protuberances is likely to have been a sensory one in the coordination of mouthparts and manipulation of stylets, escape from predators, enhancement of aerodynamic properties and copulatory behaviour.
Highlights
Megasecoptera is a small group of Late Paleozoic phytophagous insects having haustellate type mouthparts in the form of a rostrum with elongated stylets and permanently outstretched basally narrow wings with corrugated longitudinal veins and generally few cross-veins
The reconstructed species shows details of its morphology, like haustellate mouthparts with conspicuous elongated stylets, wings with a well preserved pattern of venation and male and female external genitalia that were previously poorly documented or unknown in these insects. This material offers an excellent opportunity for a detailed study of the micromorphology of certain structures using Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and to use this information to determine the likely function of similar structures in related taxa
In spite of the limitations imposed by the poor state preservation due the processes occurring during taphonomy this study revealed details of their microstructure and how selected body structures functioned in a Late Carboniferous insect, which lived approximately 317 Mya
Summary
Megasecoptera is a small group of Late Paleozoic phytophagous insects having haustellate type mouthparts in the form of a rostrum with elongated stylets and permanently outstretched basally narrow wings with corrugated longitudinal veins and generally few cross-veins. The reconstructed species shows details of its morphology, like haustellate mouthparts with conspicuous elongated stylets, wings with a well preserved pattern of venation and male and female external genitalia that were previously poorly documented or unknown in these insects (see Fig. 1). This material offers an excellent opportunity for a detailed study of the micromorphology of certain structures using ESEM and to use this information to determine the likely function of similar structures in related taxa. This study presents a more detailed and clearer view of surface microstructure of certain parts of the body of a megasecopteran, B. sinensis, using the extensively and well documented material from the Late Carboniferous in northern China[6]
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