Mayflies and dragonflies share one ancient winged ancestor, DNA confirms
Du S, Wang Y, Zhang F, Engel MS, Zheng X
Phylogenomics
This is an insect evolution study with no direct connection to plants, gardening, or anything a plant enthusiast would act on in their yard.
Researchers wanted to know whether mayflies and dragonflies, two of the oldest groups of flying insects, branched from the same ancestor or evolved separately. By comparing genetic data from over 100 species, they found strong evidence these insects do share a single ancestor, and that insect wings themselves evolved only once, roughly 380 million years ago, long before dinosaurs existed.
Key Findings
Analysis used 1,367 shared genes across genomes and transcriptomes from 101 insect species, including 16 newly sequenced mayfly genomes
Genomic signal supports a monophyletic Palaeoptera (mayflies + dragonflies sharing one common ancestor) over the competing Chiastomyaria hypothesis
Molecular dating places the origin of winged insects in the Early Devonian, with the mayfly-dragonfly lineage emerging in the Late Devonian
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists analyzed DNA from 101 insect species to settle a long-running debate about how the first winged insects evolved, confirming that mayflies and dragonflies share a common ancestor and that wings evolved just once, around 380 million years ago.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Phylogenomics confirms Palaeoptera monophyly and illuminates the origin of winged insects.
The origin and early radiation of winged insects (Pterygota) represent one of the most transformative events in terrestrial evolution, yet phylogenetic relationships among their basalmost lineages ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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