Giant Jurassic fossil sheds light on the evolution of a six-legged predator
Researchers have identified a rare 165-million-year-old fossil of a giant dipluran, named Sinojapyx giganteus, from the Daohugou fossil assemblage in China. This discovery provides new insights into the early evolution of hexapods and modern insect ecosystems.
Why it matters
The discovery fills a significant gap in the fossil record regarding the evolution of wingless insects.
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources Paleoecological reconstruction of Sinojapyx giganteus. Credit: Wang et al. Insects belong to a broader group of six-legged animals called hexapods. This group also includes other less well-known, small animals, including diplurans or two-pronged bristletails, wingless relatives of insects with two rear projections called cerci that resemble feelers or pincers.
The ancestors of diplurans branched off early in the evolution of hexapods. As these animals are rarely preserved as fossils, their evolution remains poorly understood.
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