Damselflies (Coenagrionidae) have been avoiding leaf veins during oviposition for at least 52 million years

Autor: Eugenia Romero-Lebrón, Marcos Fernández-Monescillo, Natalia Matushkina, Xavier Delclòs, Raquel M. Gleiser
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: iScience, Vol 26, Iss 6, Pp 106865- (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2589-0042
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106865
Popis: Summary: Plant-insect interactions can provide extremely valuable information for reconstructing the oviposition behavior. We have studied about 1350 endophytic egg traces of coenagrionid damselflies (Odonata: Zygoptera) from the Eocene, identifying triangular or drop-shaped scars associated with them. This study aims to determine the origin of these scars. Our behavioral study of about 1,800 endophytic eggs from recent coenagrionids indicates that these scars were caused by ovipositor incisions, but without egg insertion. The scar correlates (χ2-test) with leaf veins in both fossil and extant species. We infer that a female would detect the proximity of a leaf vein and avoid egg-laying, generating a scar that also fossilizes. For the first time, a scar produced by the ovipositor has been identified, indicating the existence of undesirable areas for oviposition. Accordingly, we recognize that Coenagrionidae damselflies (narrow-winged damselflies or pond damselflies) have been avoiding leaf veins for at least 52 million years.
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