New Cretaceous antlion-like lacewings promote a phylogenetic reappraisal of the extinct myrmeleontoid family Babinskaiidae

Xiumei Lu,Bo Wang,Xingyue Liu

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-95946-z

Abstract

Babinskaiidae is an extinct family of the lacewing superfamily Myrmeleontoidea, currently only recorded from the Cretaceous. The phylogenetic position of this family is elusive, with inconsistent inferences in previous studies. Here we report on three new genera and species of Babinskaiidae from the mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber of Myanmar, namely Calobabinskaia xiai gen. et sp. nov., Stenobabinskaia punctata gen. et sp. nov., and Xiaobabinskaia lepidotricha gen. et sp. nov. These new babinskaiids are featured by having specialized characters, such as the rich number of presectoral crossveins and the presence of scaly setae on forewing costal vein, which have not yet been found in this family. The exquisite preservation of the Kachin amber babinskaiids facilitate a reappraisal of the phylogenetic placement of this family based on adult morphological characters. Our result from the phylogenetic inference combining the data from fossil and extant myrmeleontoids recovered a monophyletic clade composed of Babinskaiidae and another extinct family Cratosmylidae, and further assigned this clade to be sister group to a clade including Nemopteridae, Palaeoleontidae, and Myrmeleontidae. Babinskaiidae appears to be a transitional lineage between Nymphidae and advanced myrmeleontoids, with ancient morphological diversification.

Highlights

Babinskaiidae is an extinct lacewing family belonging to the superfamily Myrmeleontoidea, presently known with 13 species in nine g enera[1]
Some specialized morphological characters are found in these new babinskaiids, such as the split arolium, the rich number of presectoral crossveins, and the presence of scaly setae on forewing, which highlight the morphological diversity of this extinct myrmeleontoid family
It can be distinguished from Gigantobabinskaia by the narrowed wings, the presence of more than 15 presectoral crossveins, and the origin of radius posterior (RP) + MA distal to midpoint of wing

Summary

Introduction

Babinskaiidae is an extinct lacewing family belonging to the superfamily Myrmeleontoidea, presently known with 13 species in nine g enera[1]. The phylogenetic position of Babinskaiidae within Myrmeleontoidea is still e lusive[7]. This family was originally established as a subfamily of Nymphidae (split-footed lacewings)[2], and subsequently elevated to an independent family[12]. Martins-Neto[13,14] postulated that Babinskaiidae is sister to a myrmeleontoid clade including Ascalaphidae + (Nemopteridae + (Araripeneuridae + (Palaeoleontidae + Myrmeleontidae))) in a phylogenetic analysis primarily based on fossil taxa of Myrmeleontoidea from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil. Our results shed light on the early evolution of Myrmeleontoidea, an advanced clade of lacewings

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion