Archidermapteron

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Archidermapteron
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Dermaptera
Family:† Protodiplatyidae
Genus:† Archidermapteron
Vishnyakova, 1980
Species:
†A. martynovi
Binomial name
†Archidermapteron martynovi
Vishnyakova, 1980

Archidermapteron martynovi (Greek : archi=ancient, and dermaptera=skin-wing) is an extinct species of earwig, in the genus Archidermapteron, family Protodiplatyidae, the suborder Archidermaptera, the order Dermaptera, [1] and is the only species in the genus Archidermapteron, [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] which simply means "ancient member of the Dermaptera". It had long, segmented cerci unlike modern species of Dermaptera, but tegmina and hind wings that folded up into a "wing package" that are like modern earwigs. [7] The only clear fossil of the species was found in Russia. [8]

Contents

Discovery

Little is known about how the species was discovered due to the ambiguity of the reports about it, and the fact that only one fossil was ever found. [7] [9] [10] The reason for this is that the environment that most earwigs live in often prevents preservation, because dead organisms in soil and other crevices quickly rot and dissolve away. [7] It is known, however, that the sole fossil of it was found in the early 1900s by a team of Russian entomologists. [7] The species is named after Dr. Andrey Vasilyevich Martynov, an entomologist who conducted extensive studies of fossil insects in the Soviet Union and who in 1925 wrote a paper about its discovery. [7] [11] [12]

Characteristics

Unlike most extant earwigs in the Forficulina suborder, Archidermapteron martynovi had cerci, that were as long as its thorax and abdomen combined, or about 80% of the length of its body. [8] This would have been longer than their antennae. [8] By contrast, most male Common earwigs, Forficula auricularia , have cerci that are slightly less than the length of their abdomen, but in rare cases can reach lengths that are slightly longer. [13] Common earwigs' cerci almost never reach lengths longer than their abdomen, let alone their abdomen and thorax combined. [13]

The species' cerci themselves could be described as being more bead-like (filiform) than the thicker cerci, specifically known as forceps, of most other earwigs. [8] One of the key characteristics of the Forficulina suborder is the existence of large, thick, basally broadened and crenulate-toothed forceps, which is notably absent on Archidermapteron martynovi. [8] [13] The only species of earwigs with these uncharacteristically thinner cerci are earwigs in the suborders Arixeniina and Hemimerina, which are rare and contain few individuals. [14]

In order to open their wings, extant species of Forficulina use their cerci because their wings fold into a "package" due to internal elasticity. [15] While Archidermapteron martynovi had such a wing package, [8] they also had long segmented cerci, as mentioned above. This means that the unsegmented cerci of extant species of Forficulina is probably not an adaptation for wing folding. Instead, it is likely that the cerci of Archidermapteron martynovi served a function similar to that of an insect's antennae: touch. [7]

Phylogenesis

This chart shows Willmann's phylogenetic hypothesis for earwigs. Red are extinct genera in Archidermaptera, among them is Archidermapteron. Blue are the three living suborders of earwigs, except for green, which are the extinct genera in Forficulina. DermapteraGraph1.png
This chart shows Willmann's phylogenetic hypothesis for earwigs. Red are extinct genera in Archidermaptera, among them is Archidermapteron. Blue are the three living suborders of earwigs, except for green, which are the extinct genera in Forficulina.

According to the research of Dr. Fabian Hass, an entomologist who specializes in earwig biology, [16] [17] the relative age of this species compared to other genera in the suborder Archidermaptera can be approximated based upon the research of Dr. R. Willmann. [7] According to Willmann, the genus Archidermapteron, and therefore also the species Archidermapteron martynovi, existed longer ago than the genera Dermapteron and Turanovia, but around the same time period as Asiodiplatys, Microdiplatys, and Protodiplatys. [18] He bases this assumption on the shape of the fossils' cerci: Archidermateron, Asiodiplatys, Microdiplatys, and Protodiplatys all had cerci that were long and filiform, while Dermapteron had cerci that were short and more forcep-like. [19] Therefore, Turanovia would have been in between both groups.

Willmann also discovered that Archidermaptera cannot be a monophyletic group, or a group consisting of an ancestor and all its descendants. The reasoning for this is that various genera in the suborder, such as Dermapteron, are more similar to the earwigs with forceps-like cerci than other genera, such as Turanovia , as mentioned above. This would imply that not all of the descendants of Archidermaptera are contained within the group Archidermaptera. In particular, the group Forficulina is descended from Archidermaptera, but is not included in Archidermaptera, but rather its own group. Therefore, Archidermaptera is not monophyletic, but instead paraphyletic, meaning that the group contains its most recent common ancestor, but does not contain all of the descendants of that ancestor. [7]

However, this does not necessarily mean that Willmann's hypothesis is correct. [7] According to Dr. V. N. Vishnyakova, in an article written by her in the Paleontological Journal, Willmann could be correct on some fronts, but wrong on others. [20] Although Vishnyakova did not address Willmann specifically (she wrote about it ten years earlier), her paper disagrees with Willmann's on the basis of the ordering of Semenviola, Semenoviolides, and Turanoderma, which are extinct genera in Forficulina. Mainstream science is still unsure of whose chart is more accurate: it all depends on the definitions of certain taxon, which can change from person to person. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earwig</span> Order of insects

Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cerci, a pair of forceps-like pincers on their abdomen, and membranous wings folded underneath short, rarely used forewings, hence the scientific order name, "skin wings". Some groups are tiny parasites on mammals and lack the typical pincers. Earwigs are found on all continents except Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forficulidae</span> Family of earwigs

Forficulidae is a family of earwigs in the order Dermaptera. There are more than 70 genera and 490 described species in Forficulidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archidermaptera</span> Extinct suborder of earwigs

Archidermaptera is an extinct suborder of earwigs in the order Dermaptera. It is one of two extinct suborders of earwigs, and contains two families known only from Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous fossils. The suborder is classified on the basis of general similarities. The Archidermaptera share with modern earwigs tegmenized forewings, though they lack the distinctive forceps-like cerci of modern earwigs, have external ovipositors, and possess ocelli. The grouping has been suggested to be paraphyletic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arixeniidae</span> Family of earwigs

Arixeniidae is a family of earwigs in the suborder Neodermaptera. Arixeniidae was formerly considered a suborder, Arixeniina, but was reduced in rank to family and included in the new suborder Neodermaptera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemimeridae</span> Family of earwig insects

Hemimeridae is a family of earwigs in the suborder Neodermaptera. Hemimeridae was formerly considered a suborder, Hemimerina, but was reduced in rank to family and included in the new suborder Neodermaptera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protodiplatyidae</span> Extinct family of earwigs

Protodiplatyidae is an extinct family of earwigs. It is one of three families in the suborder Archidermaptera, alongside Dermapteridae and Turanovia. Species are known from Jurassic and Early Cretaceous fossils and have unsegmented cerci and tarsi with four to five segments.

Microdiplatys is an extinct genus of earwigs, in the family Protodiplatyidae. It is one of only six genera in the family, its family being the only one in the suborder.

Protodiplatys is an extinct genus of earwigs, in the family Protodiplatyidae, the suborder Archidermaptera, and the order Dermaptera. It is known from three species, P. fortis and P. gracilis, which are known from the Middle-Late Jurassic Karabastau Formation in Kazakhstan, and P. mongoliensis from the Aptian aged Gurvan-Eren Formation of Mongolia.

Asiodiplatys is a monotypic genus containing the single species Asiodiplatys speciousus, an extinct species of earwig in the family Protodiplatyidae. It had long and thin cerci that were very different from modern species of Dermaptera, but tegmina and hind wings that folded up into a "wing package" that are like modern earwigs. Like Archidermapteron martynovi, the only clear fossil of the species was found in Russia.

Microdiplatys campodeiformis is an extinct species of earwig in the family Protodiplatyidae. It is one of only two species in the genus Microdiplatys, the other being Microdiplatys oculatus.

Microdiplatys oculatus is an extinct species of earwig in the family Protodiplatyidae. It is one of only two species in the genus Microdiplatys, the other being Microdiplatys campodeiformis.

Turanovia incompleta is an extinct species of archidermapteran earwig. It is the only species in the genus Turanovia and family Turanoviidae. It is found in the Middle-Late Jurassic (Callovian-Oxfordian) Karabastau Formation of Kazakhstan.

<i>Labia minor</i> Species of earwig

Labia minor, the lesser earwig or small earwig, is a species of earwig. It is widespread globally in temperate climates, preferring warm locations such as compost heaps in parts of its range. It is 4–7 mm long, including the pincer, and chocolate brown in color.

<i>Astreptolabis</i> Extinct genus of earwigs

Astreptolabis is an extinct genus of earwig in the Dermaptera family Pygidicranidae known from a group of Cretaceous fossils found in Myanmar. The genus contains two described species, Astreptolabis ethirosomatia and Astreptolabis laevis and is the sole member of the subfamily Astreptolabidinae.

Zigrasolabis is an extinct genus of earwig in the family Labiduridae known from Cretaceous fossils found in Myanmar. The genus contains a single described species, Zigrasolabis speciosa.

This taxonomy of the Dermaptera follows Engel & Haas (2007) to the rank of genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neodermaptera</span> Suborder of earwigs

Neodermaptera, sometimes called Catadermaptera, is a suborder of earwigs in the order Dermaptera. There are more than 2,000 described species in Neodermaptera.

Semenoviolidae is an extinct family of earwigs in the order Dermaptera. There are at least two genera and two described species in Semenoviolidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dermapteridae</span> Extinct family of earwigs

Dermapteridae is an extinct family of earwigs known from the Late Triassic to Mid Cretaceous, it is part of the extinct suborder Archidermaptera, alongside Protodiplatyidae and Turanovia. It was first named as a subfamily by Vishniakova in 1980, and elevated to family status by Engel in 2003 without discussion.

References

  1. ↑ "Taxa display - Archidermapteron martynovi". Dermaptera Species File. speciesfile.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  2. ↑ "Taxa display - Archidermapteron". Dermaptera Species File. speciesfile.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
  3. ↑ Species Search Results for Archidermapteron Global Biodiversity Information Facility
  4. ↑ The Paleobiology Database
  5. ↑ The Paleobiology Database
  6. ↑ Каратау [Karatau] (in Russian) – via Google Translate.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hass, Fabian (January 1996). "Archidermaptera". Tree of Life. The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and The University of Arizona Library. Archived from the original on 2008-07-18. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dr. A.P. Rasnitsyn; Dr. R.L. Kaesler (1992). "Tree of Life Web Project - Details for Media ID# 852". Tree of Life. Russian Academy of Science. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  9. ↑ [ dead link ]
  10. ↑ Occurrence ID: 35447241 GBIF.org
  11. ↑ Martynov, A. (1925) "On a new interesting fossil beetle from the Jurassic beds in Northern Turkestan". Revue russe d'Entomologie, 19, 73-78.
  12. ↑ Andrey Martynov's biography (in Russian), website of the Laboratory of Arthropods, Palaeontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow; accessed April 26, 2009
  13. ↑ Hass, Fabian (July 1996). "Dermaptera". Tree of Life. The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and The University of Arizona Library. Archived from the original on 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  14. ↑ Kleinow, W. (1966) Untersuchungen zum Flügelmechanismus der Dermapteren. Zeitschrift für Morphologie und Ökologie der Tiere, 56, 363-416.
  15. ↑ Hass, Fabian (2007). "Welcome to the Earwig Research Centre". Earwig Research Centre. Heilbronn. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  16. ↑ Hass, Fabian (2007). "Earwig Research Centre :: People". Earwig Research Centre. Heilbronn. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  17. ↑ Willmann, R. (1990) Die Bedeutung paläontologischer Daten für die zoologische Systematik. Verhandlungen der Deutschen Zoologischen Gesellschaft, 83, 277-289.
  18. ↑ Dr. A.P. Rasnitsyn; Dr. R.L. Kaesler (1992). "Tree of Life Web Project - Details for Media ID# 3084". Tree of Life. Russian Academy of Science. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
  19. ↑ Vishnyakova, V.N. (1980) Earwigs from the Upper Jurassic of the Karatau range. Paleontological Journal, 1, 78-95.
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