image: A male straight-snouted weevil (Brentidae) silhouetted against a leaf in an Australian rain forest. view more
Credit: Alexander Wild
New research reconstructs the beetle family tree and shows how this important group of insects diversified and otherwise flourished over the last nearly 300 million years.
"The success of beetles appears to result from low extinction rates, protected wings that permit access to habitats like leaf litter, wood, and soil, and ancient interactions with plants, fungi, and microorganisms," said Dr. Duane McKenna, lead author of the Systematic Entomology study.
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Journal
Systematic Entomology