New Amber Fossils Indicate That Larvae of Dermestidae Had Longer Defensive Structures in the Past
Representatives of Dermestidae (skin, larder, and carpet beetles) play a crucial role as decomposers in global ecosystems, facilitating the recycling of animal and plant biomass to sustain nutrient cycling. Despite their widespread ecological presence and functional importance, the fossil record of...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/7/710 |
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| author | Jéhan Le Cadre Joshua Gauweiler Joachim T. Haug Sofía I. Arce Viktor Baranov Jörg U. Hammel Carolin Haug Uwe Kaulfuss Christine Kiesmüller Ryan C. McKellar Patrick Müller Marie K. Hörnig Ana Zippel |
| author_facet | Jéhan Le Cadre Joshua Gauweiler Joachim T. Haug Sofía I. Arce Viktor Baranov Jörg U. Hammel Carolin Haug Uwe Kaulfuss Christine Kiesmüller Ryan C. McKellar Patrick Müller Marie K. Hörnig Ana Zippel |
| author_sort | Jéhan Le Cadre |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Representatives of Dermestidae (skin, larder, and carpet beetles) play a crucial role as decomposers in global ecosystems, facilitating the recycling of animal and plant biomass to sustain nutrient cycling. Despite their widespread ecological presence and functional importance, the fossil record of their larval stages has remained sparse, with previous documentation limited to occasional discoveries. This study significantly expands the larval fossil record by identifying 36 amber-preserved specimens from the Cretaceous, Eocene, and Miocene time slices, obtained from deposits distributed globally. By challenging the historical view of larval fossil rarity, we reveal morphological changes in defensive setae over geological time, demonstrating that Cretaceous and later fossil larvae possess significantly longer absolute and relative setal lengths compared to their extant counterparts. These findings, bolstered by quantitative comparisons of setal and body dimensions across fossil and extant representatives, indicate evolutionary adaptations in defensive structures dating back at least 100 million years. Our results offer new insights into the paleobiology of the group Dermestidae, highlighting how the morphology of larvae potentially reflects historical ecological pressures and resources availability. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating fossil evidence with comparative morphology to elucidate the evolutionary trajectories and functional roles of larvae in ancient terrestrial ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5de23d7342b045f98192537d3d8e50cf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj-art-5de23d7342b045f98192537d3d8e50cf2025-08-20T03:58:26ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502025-07-0116771010.3390/insects16070710New Amber Fossils Indicate That Larvae of Dermestidae Had Longer Defensive Structures in the PastJéhan Le Cadre0Joshua Gauweiler1Joachim T. Haug2Sofía I. Arce3Viktor Baranov4Jörg U. Hammel5Carolin Haug6Uwe Kaulfuss7Christine Kiesmüller8Ryan C. McKellar9Patrick Müller10Marie K. Hörnig11Ana Zippel12Biocenter, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Grosshaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, GermanyCytology and Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 23, 17489 Greifswald, GermanyBiocenter, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Grosshaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, GermanyBiocenter, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Grosshaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, GermanyDoñana Biological Station EBD-CSIC, 41092 Seville, SpainInstitute of Materials Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Max-Planck-Str. 1, 21502 Geesthacht, GermanyBiocenter, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Grosshaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, GermanyDepartment of Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, GermanyFaculty of Biology, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Warsaw, ul. Żwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089 Warszawa, PolandRoyal Saskatchewan Museum, 2445 Albert St., Regina, SK S4P 4W7, CanadaIndependent Researcher, Kreuzbergstr. 90, 66482 Zweibrücken, GermanyCytology and Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 23, 17489 Greifswald, GermanyBiocenter, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Grosshaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, GermanyRepresentatives of Dermestidae (skin, larder, and carpet beetles) play a crucial role as decomposers in global ecosystems, facilitating the recycling of animal and plant biomass to sustain nutrient cycling. Despite their widespread ecological presence and functional importance, the fossil record of their larval stages has remained sparse, with previous documentation limited to occasional discoveries. This study significantly expands the larval fossil record by identifying 36 amber-preserved specimens from the Cretaceous, Eocene, and Miocene time slices, obtained from deposits distributed globally. By challenging the historical view of larval fossil rarity, we reveal morphological changes in defensive setae over geological time, demonstrating that Cretaceous and later fossil larvae possess significantly longer absolute and relative setal lengths compared to their extant counterparts. These findings, bolstered by quantitative comparisons of setal and body dimensions across fossil and extant representatives, indicate evolutionary adaptations in defensive structures dating back at least 100 million years. Our results offer new insights into the paleobiology of the group Dermestidae, highlighting how the morphology of larvae potentially reflects historical ecological pressures and resources availability. This study emphasizes the importance of integrating fossil evidence with comparative morphology to elucidate the evolutionary trajectories and functional roles of larvae in ancient terrestrial ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/7/710AmberSkin beetlesCarpet beetlesLarder beetlesMorphological diversityhastisetae |
| spellingShingle | Jéhan Le Cadre Joshua Gauweiler Joachim T. Haug Sofía I. Arce Viktor Baranov Jörg U. Hammel Carolin Haug Uwe Kaulfuss Christine Kiesmüller Ryan C. McKellar Patrick Müller Marie K. Hörnig Ana Zippel New Amber Fossils Indicate That Larvae of Dermestidae Had Longer Defensive Structures in the Past Insects Amber Skin beetles Carpet beetles Larder beetles Morphological diversity hastisetae |
| title | New Amber Fossils Indicate That Larvae of Dermestidae Had Longer Defensive Structures in the Past |
| title_full | New Amber Fossils Indicate That Larvae of Dermestidae Had Longer Defensive Structures in the Past |
| title_fullStr | New Amber Fossils Indicate That Larvae of Dermestidae Had Longer Defensive Structures in the Past |
| title_full_unstemmed | New Amber Fossils Indicate That Larvae of Dermestidae Had Longer Defensive Structures in the Past |
| title_short | New Amber Fossils Indicate That Larvae of Dermestidae Had Longer Defensive Structures in the Past |
| title_sort | new amber fossils indicate that larvae of dermestidae had longer defensive structures in the past |
| topic | Amber Skin beetles Carpet beetles Larder beetles Morphological diversity hastisetae |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/7/710 |
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