| Title: | A fossil biting midge (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from early Eocene Indian amber with a complex pheromone evaporator |
| Author(s): | Stebner F; Szadziewski R; Ruhr PT; Singh H; Hammel JU; Kvifte GM; Rust J; |
| Address: | "Steinmann-Institut, Abteilung Palaontologie, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany. University of Gdansk, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Wita Stwosza 59, 80- 308 Gdansk, Poland. Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Zentrum fur Molekulare Biodiversitatsforschung, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany. Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow, India. Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Institut fur Werkstoffforschung, Max-Planck-Str. 1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany. University Museum of Bergen, Department of Natural History, P.O. Box 7800, University of Bergen, 5040 Bergen, Norway. Universitat Kassel, Institut fur Biologie, Fachgebiet Limnologie, Heinrich-Plett-Strasse 40, 34132 Kassel-Oberzwehren, Germany" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2045-2322 (Electronic) 2045-2322 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "The life-like fidelity of organisms captured in amber is unique among all kinds of fossilization and represents an invaluable source for different fields of palaeontological and biological research. One of the most challenging aspects in amber research is the study of traits related to behaviour. Here, indirect evidence for pheromone-mediated mating behaviour is recorded from a biting midge (Ceratopogonidae) in 54 million-year-old Indian amber. Camptopterohelea odora n. sp. exhibits a complex, pocket shaped structure on the wings, which resembles the wing folds of certain moth flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) and scent organs that are only known from butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) so far. Our studies suggests that pheromone releasing structures on the wings have evolved independently in biting midges and might be much more widespread in fossil as well as modern insects than known so far" |
| Keywords: | "*Amber Animals Diptera/*physiology Female *Fossils Male Pheromones/*metabolism Sexual Behavior, Animal Wings, Animal/anatomy & histology;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineStebner, Frauke Szadziewski, Ryszard Ruhr, Peter T Singh, Hukam Hammel, Jorg U Kvifte, Gunnar Mikalsen Rust, Jes eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2016/10/05 Sci Rep. 2016 Oct 4; 6:34352. doi: 10.1038/srep34352" |
