Ant Pupae from Myanmar Amber Reveal the Evolutionary Process of Cocoon-Spinning Behavior in Formicidae  

作　　者：Wentao Tao Baojie Du Shuai Ma Rui Chen 

机构地区：[1]Institute of Entomology,College of Life Sciences,Nankai University,Tianjin 300071,China [2]Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution,Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China [3]Paleo-diary Museum of Natural History,Beijing 100097,China [4]Fujian Paleo-diary Bioresearch Centre,Fuzhou 350001,China

出　　处：《宝石和宝石学杂志（中英文）》2023年第4期120-135,共16页Journal of Gems & Gemmology

基　　金：This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.of 31830084,31970440&32070466);also supported by“the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities”,Nankai University(No.96172158,96173250&91822294).

摘　　要：Many extant species spin cocoons before their pupal stage,which can protect them from predators,pathogens,and fluctuant environmental factors in nests.However,owing to the scarcity of ant cocoon fossils,little is known about the origin and evolution of this behavior in Formicidae.Here,we describe two ant pupae specimens from Myanmar amber.The presence of cocoons in these Mesozoic fossils suggests the ancestral origin of spinning cocoon behavior;based on our phylogenetic analysis and ancestral state reconstruction,this behavior was secondarily lost at least six times in Formicidae,which could be ascribed to the transition of nesting and feeding habits,as well as the development of eusociality.Moreover,the first specimen preserved worker ants with empty cocoons simultaneously,indicating garbage removal or brood care behavior,which improves our understanding of their eusociality in the Cretaceous.

关 键 词：Formicidae ant pupae fossil Myanmar amber cocoon-spinning behavior social behavior Cretaceous 

分 类 号：TS93[轻工技术与工程]