再现1亿多年前古代昆虫的声音并非天方夜谭。近日，中国古生物学家任东及其团队利用化石成功还原侏罗纪时期鸣螽的叫声，这一“最古老昆虫声音”在国际学术界引起巨大反响。
北京首都师范大学生命科学学院教授任东2月18日在上海科技馆举办的“科普大讲坛”上介绍，他与英国科研团队合作，利用在中国发掘的侏罗纪时期保存相当完好的鸣螽化石，通过观察该化石的翅膀特征，并与现代昆虫音齿对比，恢复出古代鸣螽的频率和脉冲，从而帮助人类第一次“听到”古老的昆虫声音。
任东表示：“这一研究成果本月在美国《国家科学院院刊》在线发表后得到了非常大的影响。刚发出来一星期，国外的媒体报告已超过2000多次。国外主流媒体上对我们进行了积极的报告和评价，认为这是‘最古老的小夜曲’。”
他指出，这一发现有助于了解古代生态系统和食物链。昆虫的声音是生态学的范围，同时也与植物相关，因为昆虫生活在植物的环境里。这个环境既有植物也有昆虫，还有大量的天敌，包括恐龙。
（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1073/pnas.1006460107
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Ancient pinnate leaf mimesis among lacewings
Wang, Yongjie; Liu, Zhiqi; Wang, Xin; Shih, Chungkun; Zhao, Yunyun; Engel, Michael S.; Ren, Dong
Insects have evolved diverse methods of predator avoidance, many of which implicate complex adaptations of their wings (e.g., Phylliidae, Nymphalidae, Notodontidae). Among these, angiosperm leaf mimicry is one of the most dramatic, although the historical origins of such modifications are unclear owing to a dearth of paleontological records. Here, we report evidence of pinnate leaf mimesis in two lacewings (Neuroptera): Bellinympha filicifolia Y. Wang, Ren, Liu & Engel gen. et sp. nov. and Bellinympha dancei Y. Wang, Ren, Shih & Engel, sp. nov., from the Middle Jurassic, representing a 165-million-year-old specialization between insects and contemporaneous gymnosperms of the Cycadales or Bennettitales. Furthermore, such lacewings demonstrate a preangiosperm origin for leaf mimesis, revealing a lost evolutionary scenario of interactions between insects and gymnosperms. The current fossil record suggests that this enigmatic lineage became extinct during the Early Cretaceous, apparently closely correlated with the decline of Cycadales and Bennettitales at that time, and perhaps owing to the changing floral environment resulted from the rise of flowering plants.
