TY - JOUR
T1 - A light in the dark
T2 - a mid-Cretaceous bioluminescent firefly with specialized antennal sensory organs
AU - Cai, Chenyang
AU - Tihelka, Erik
AU - Ballantyne, Lesley
AU - Li, Yan Da
AU - Huang, Diying
AU - Engel, Michael S.
AU - Kundrata, Robin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024/9/11
Y1 - 2024/9/11
N2 - The beetle superfamily Elateroidea comprises the most biodiverse bioluminescent insects among terrestrial light-producing animals. Recent exceptional fossils from the Mesozoic era and phylogenomic studies have provided valuable insights into the origin and evolution of bioluminescence in elateroids. However, due to the fragmentary nature of the fossil record, the early evolution of bioluminescence in fireflies (Lampyridae), one of the most charismatic lineages of insects, remains elusive. Here, we report the discovery of the second Mesozoic bioluminescent firefly, Flammarionella hehaikuni Cai, Ballantyne & Kundrata gen. et sp. nov., from the Albian/Cenomanian of northern Myanmar (ca 99 Ma). Based on the available set of diagnostic characters, we interpret the specimen as a female of stem-group Luciolinae. The fossil possesses deeply impressed oval pits on the apices of antennomeres 3–11, representing specialized sensory organs likely involved in olfaction. The light organ near the abdominal apex of Flammarionella resembles that found in extant light-producing lucioline fireflies. The growing fossil record of lampyrids provides direct evidence that the stunning light displays of fireflies were already established by the late Mesozoic.
AB - The beetle superfamily Elateroidea comprises the most biodiverse bioluminescent insects among terrestrial light-producing animals. Recent exceptional fossils from the Mesozoic era and phylogenomic studies have provided valuable insights into the origin and evolution of bioluminescence in elateroids. However, due to the fragmentary nature of the fossil record, the early evolution of bioluminescence in fireflies (Lampyridae), one of the most charismatic lineages of insects, remains elusive. Here, we report the discovery of the second Mesozoic bioluminescent firefly, Flammarionella hehaikuni Cai, Ballantyne & Kundrata gen. et sp. nov., from the Albian/Cenomanian of northern Myanmar (ca 99 Ma). Based on the available set of diagnostic characters, we interpret the specimen as a female of stem-group Luciolinae. The fossil possesses deeply impressed oval pits on the apices of antennomeres 3–11, representing specialized sensory organs likely involved in olfaction. The light organ near the abdominal apex of Flammarionella resembles that found in extant light-producing lucioline fireflies. The growing fossil record of lampyrids provides direct evidence that the stunning light displays of fireflies were already established by the late Mesozoic.
KW - bioluminescence
KW - diversity
KW - Lampyridae
KW - Mesozoic
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U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2024.1671
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2024.1671
M3 - Article
C2 - 39255838
AN - SCOPUS:85203993857
SN - 1471-2954
VL - 291
SP - 1
EP - 8
JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
IS - 2030
M1 - 20241671
ER -