(Press-News.org) Contact information: Kallie Huss
onepress@plos.org
415-568-3162
Public Library of Science
Earliest record of copulating insects discovered
Fossil of copulating insects discovered from Middle Jurassic period
Scientists have found the oldest fossil depicting copulating insects in northeastern China, published November 6th in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Dong Ren and colleagues at the Capital Normal University in China.
Fossil records of mating insects are fairly sparse, and therefore our current knowledge of mating position and genitalia orientation in the early stages of evolution is rather limited.
In this study, the authors present a fossil of a pair of copulating froghoppers, a type of small insect that hops from plant to plant much like tiny frogs. The well-preserved fossil of these two froghoppers showed belly-to-belly mating position and depicts the male reproductive organ inserting into the female copulatory structure.
This is the earliest record of copulating insects to date, and suggests that froghoppers' genital symmetry and mating position have remained static for over 165 million years. Ren adds, "We found these two very rare copulating froghoppers which provide a glimpse of interesting insect behavior and important data to understand their mating position and genitalia orientation during the Middle Jurassic."
INFORMATION:
Citation: Li S, Shih C, Wang C, Pang H, Ren D (2013) Forever Love: The Hitherto Earliest Record of Copulating Insects from the Middle Jurassic of China. PLoS ONE 8(11): e78188. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0078188
Financial Disclosure: This research is supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (grant 2012CB821906), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants 31172143, 31230065, 31272352 and 41272006), Project of Great Wall Scholar and KEY project of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education (grants KZ201310028033), and China Geological Survey (grant 1212011120115). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
PLEASE LINK TO THE SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT (URL goes live after the embargo ends): http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078188
Disclaimer: This press release refers to upcoming articles in PLOS ONE. The releases have been provided by the article authors and/or journal staff. Any opinions expressed in these are the personal views of the contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of PLOS. PLOS expressly disclaims any and all warranties and liability in connection with the information found in the release and article and your use of such information.
About PLOS ONE: PLOS ONE is the first journal of primary research from all areas of science to employ a combination of peer review and post-publication rating and commenting, to maximize the impact of every report it publishes. PLOS ONE is published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS), the open-access publisher whose goal is to make the world's scientific and medical literature a public resource.
All works published in PLOS ONE are Open Access. Everything is immediately available—to read, download, redistribute, include in databases and otherwise use—without cost to anyone, anywhere, subject only to the condition that the original authors and source are properly attributed. For more information about PLOS ONE relevant to journalists, bloggers and press officers, including details of our press release process and our embargo policy, see the everyONE blog at http://everyone.plos.org/media.
Earliest record of copulating insects discovered
Fossil of copulating insects discovered from Middle Jurassic period
2013-11-07
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Speaking a second language may delay dementia, study shows
2013-11-07
Speaking a second language may delay dementia, study shows
People who speak more than 1 language and who develop dementia tend to do so up to 5 years later than those who are monolingual, according to a study
People who speak more than one language and ...
Volcanic rock probe helps unlock mysteries of how Earth formed
2013-11-07
Volcanic rock probe helps unlock mysteries of how Earth formed
New insights gleaned from volcanic rock are helping scientists better understand how our planet evolved billions of years ago.
Studies of basalt, the material that forms from cooling lava, ...
Infected butterflies lead geneticists up the garden path
2013-11-07
Infected butterflies lead geneticists up the garden path
UFZ researchers illustrate the weaknesses of DNA barcoding
Halle/Saale. For animal species that cannot be distinguished using their external characteristics, genetic techniques such as ...
Earliest marker for autism found in young infants
2013-11-07
Earliest marker for autism found in young infants
NIH-funded study finds attention to others' eyes declines in 2 to 6-month-old infants later diagnosed with autism
Eye contact during early infancy may be a key to early identification of autism, according ...
NASA sees Tropical Depression 30W stretching out, fading
2013-11-07
NASA sees Tropical Depression 30W stretching out, fading
Tropical Storm 30W weakened into a tropical depression again on Nov. 6 and wind shear stretched out the storm. The storm's elongation was evident in infrared NASA satellite imagery.
NASA's Aqua satellite ...
Brain may play key role in blood sugar metabolism and development of diabetes
2013-11-07
Brain may play key role in blood sugar metabolism and development of diabetes
Normal blood sugar regulation is a partnership between the pancreas and the brain
A growing body of evidence suggests that the brain plays a key role in glucose regulation and the development ...
Researchers help make pediatric eye cancer easier to detect
2013-11-07
Researchers help make pediatric eye cancer easier to detect
Parent's use of digital photography shown as an effective tool in diagnosis of retinoblastoma
WACO, Texas (Nov. 6, 2013) —Can parents use digital cameras and smart phones to potentially screen ...
NASA sees heavy rain around Super-Typhoon Haiyan's eye
2013-11-07
NASA sees heavy rain around Super-Typhoon Haiyan's eye
School violence lowers test scores, not grades
2013-11-07
School violence lowers test scores, not grades
WASHINGTON, DC, November 6, 2013 — It's hard to go a day without seeing news of violence in some form occurring in schools around the country, and Chicago is often cited as a city where crime rates in schools ...
In dual-career couples, mothers still do the most child care
2013-11-07
In dual-career couples, mothers still do the most child care
Moms spend 70 percent of free time on parenting activities
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Even in couples most likely to believe in sharing parenting responsibilities, mothers still bear significantly ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids
ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000
Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work
Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness
Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find
Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools
Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks
Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems
Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions
Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing
New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture
The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet
Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy
Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab
Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy
Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues
New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children
Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer
It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections
From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine
Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023
No evidence that medications trigger microscopic colitis in older adults
NYUAD researchers find link between brain growth and mental health disorders
Aging-related inflammation is not universal across human populations, new study finds
University of Oregon to create national children’s mental health center with $11 million federal grant
Rare achievement: UTA undergrad publishes research
Fact or fiction? The ADHD info dilemma
Genetic ancestry linked to risk of severe dengue
Genomes reveal the Norwegian lemming as one of the youngest mammal species
[Press-News.org] Earliest record of copulating insects discoveredFossil of copulating insects discovered from Middle Jurassic period