Mimicry in Cretaceous Bugs.

Erik Tihelka,Diying Huang,Michael S Engel,Chenyang Cai

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2020.101280

Abstract

SummaryMimicry is ubiquitous in nature, yet understanding its origin and evolution is complicated by the scarcity of exceptional fossils that enable behavioral inferences about extinct animals. Here we report bizarre true bugs (Hemiptera) that closely resemble beetles (Coleoptera) from mid-Cretaceous amber. The unusual fossil bugs are described as Bersta vampirica gen. et sp. nov. and Bersta coleopteromorpha gen. et sp. nov. and are placed into a new family, Berstidae fam. nov. The specialized mouthparts of berstids indicate that they were predaceous on small arthropods. Their striking beetle-like appearance implies that they were either involved in defensive mimicry or mimicked beetles to attack unsuspecting prey. The latter would represent the first case of aggressive mimicry in the invertebrate fossil record. These findings enrich our understanding of the paleoecological associations and extinct behavioral strategies of Mesozoic insects.

Highlights

Mimicry, whereby organisms resemble living or inanimate objects, is a keystone concept in evolutionary biology and has received considerable interdisciplinary attention as one of the most vivid illustrations of Darwinian natural selection (Casewell et al, 2017)
SUMMARY Mimicry is ubiquitous in nature, yet understanding its origin and evolution is complicated by the scarcity of exceptional fossils that enable behavioral inferences about extinct animals
The unusual fossil bugs are described as Bersta vampirica gen. et sp. nov. and Bersta coleopteromorpha gen. et sp. nov. and are placed into a new family, Berstidae fam. nov

Summary

Introduction

Whereby organisms resemble living or inanimate objects, is a keystone concept in evolutionary biology and has received considerable interdisciplinary attention as one of the most vivid illustrations of Darwinian natural selection (Casewell et al, 2017). Defensive mimicry (e.g., Batesian or Mullerian mimicry) involves species that conceal their true identities to avoid predation. On the other end of the spectrum of mimetic associations in nature, aggressive mimicry (Peckhamian mimicry, Peckham, 1889) involves predators that imitate, often in intricate ways involving visual and chemical deceit, their own prey to avoid being detected (Jamie, 2017). Some of the most striking examples of aggressive mimicry include humpback anglerfish that use their bioluminescent dorsal spine to lure and capture prey, parasitic trematodes that gain entry into their unsuspecting hosts by mimicking their food, and predaceous spiders that, like true ‘‘wolfs in sheep’s clothing,’’ mimic harmless species by releasing a cocktail of deceitful chemical cues (Nelson and Jackson, 2012; Pietsch and Grobecker, 1978). The fossil record of complex ecological interactions such as mimicry is very sparse, disclosing little about their evolution (Boucot, 1990)

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