Stem-insect fossil pushes back timeline of insect land invasion
A Carboniferous fossil, Chosha praecursor, reveals amphibious stem-insect traits (ovipositor and paddle-like abdominal legs) and is placed as an early-diverging hexapod, suggesting insects colonized land earlier than some molecular clocks imply. The find helps bridge the ‘hexapod gap’ in the fossil record, indicates a semi-aquatic lifestyle for at least some stem-insects, and revises views on early insect morphology while providing open data for phylogenetic analysis.
