Hexapoda: the Megadiverse Orders Flashcards
Lepidoptera
Butterflies & Moths
Why did all 4 groups of Lepidoptera massively diversify around 150-100 MYA ?
Radiation of Lepidoptera tracks diversification of Angiosperms (flowering plants)
Also true for flower-visiting Hymenoptera (bees) & Diptera (e.g. hoverflies), and the phytophagous (plant-eating) Coleoptera
Why did the diversification of Angiosperms lead to super-radiation of insects?
Angiosperms tend to be more palatable (especially in terms of physical protection) than earlier plants (cycads, tree ferns, conifers etc)
Insects evolved to eat soft plants; angiosperms invested in chemical defences, leading to coevolution in chemical arms races
Evolution of flowers led to coevolution and radiation in pollinators
Features of Adult Lepidoptera
Two pairs of wings covered in scales (Lepidoptera = ‘Scale wing’)
Mouthparts in form of coiled proboscis, which can be extended when feeding - usually on nectar
Did bats drive evolution of anti-bat defences in moths?
Evasive flight action in response to hearing calls
Advertising their toxicity – Acoustic Aposematism
Sonar “Jamming”
Acoustic Deflection
Lepidoptera patterns and colouring why?
Camouflage
Predator Deterrence
Aposematism (Warning Colouration)
Müllerian Mimicry Rings
Batesian Mimicry
Migration
Order Lepidoptera
Herbivorous specialists
Wings covered by pigmented scales.
Mouthparts are modified into coiled proboscis
Holometabolous
Aposematism & mimicry common
Angiosperms
A plant of a large group that comprises those that have flowers and produce seeds enclosed within a carpel