ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2023
The origins of colour patterns in fossil insects revealed by maturation experiments.
Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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2 citing papers in PubMed.
- A new non-destructive method to decipher the origin of organic matter in fossils using Raman spectroscopy.RSC advances · 2024Article
- The origins of colour patterns in fossil insects revealed by maturation experiments.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2023Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
Many fossil insects show monochromatic colour patterns that may provide valuable insights into ancient insect behaviour and ecology. Whether these patterns reflect original pigmentary coloration is, however, unknown, and their formation mechanism has not been investigated. Here, we performed thermal maturation experiments on extant beetles with melanin-based colour patterns. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that melanin-rich cuticle is more resistant to degradation than melanin-poor cuticle: with progressive maturation, melanin-poor cuticle regions experience preferential thinning and loss, yet melanin-rich cuticle remains. Comparative analysis of fossil insects with monotonal colour patterns confirms that the variations in tone correspond to variations in preserved cuticle thickness. These preserved colour patterns can thus be plausibly explained as melanin-based patterning. Recognition of melanin-based colour patterns in fossil insects opens new avenues for interpreting the evolution of insect coloration and behaviour through deep time.
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