Phylogenetic Analysis of Neuropterida Insects

Neuropterida, a clade comprising lacewings, antlions and their kin, represents one of the most ecologically diverse groups of holometabolous insects. Phylogenetic analyses of this assemblage integrate molecular sequences, morphological characters and fossil data to reconstruct evolutionary relationships and divergence timings. Recent advances in genome‐scale sequencing and high‐resolution imaging have refined our understanding of deep splits between Raphidioptera, Megaloptera and Neuroptera, while fossil inclusions in amber illuminate the early diversity and behavioural innovations of larval forms. By combining cladistic approaches with temporal calibration, researchers have resolved many family‐level relationships, uncovered instances of convergent evolution and quantified the historical loss of morphological variety. Such phylogenetic frameworks provide essential context for interpreting ecological roles—predation, pollination and habitat specialisation—and for tracing biogeographic dispersal across continents from the Jurassic to the present day.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have employed outline‐based morphometric techniques to survey larval head and stylet shape across fossil and extant lacewings. This quantitative framework demonstrated a measurable decline in morphological disparity since the Cretaceous, corresponding to a reduction in ecological roles and diversity among modern lineages. Another investigation documented mid-Cretaceous amber larvae of antlions and lacewings, integrating cladistic scoring of both fossil and living taxa. The resulting phylogeny positioned multiple extinct forms as stem- and crown-group representatives, revealing that sophisticated hunting strategies such as fossorial ambush and camouflage were already established nearly 100 million years ago. A complementary analysis of early Cretaceous green lacewing larvae preserved in Lebanese amber uncovered the earliest evidence of debris-carrying behaviour. Specialised setae and tubercles anchoring soil particles attest to an ancient origin of camouflage strategies that remain key to modern pest-control applications.

Phylogenetic Analysis of Neuropterida Insects publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in phylogenetic analysis of neuropterida insects across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Phylogeny: The evolutionary history and relationships among a group of organisms.

Crown-group: The clade consisting of all living members of a lineage plus their most recent common ancestor.

Stem-group: Extinct lineages more closely related to a particular crown-group than to any other living group.

Divergence time: The estimated point in geological time when two lineages split from a common ancestor.

Morphological disparity: Variation in form and structure among organisms within a clade over time.

References

1. The associated evolution of raptorial foreleg and mantispid diversification during 200 million years. National Science Review (2023).
2. Evolution, systematics and historical biogeography of Palparini and Palparidiini antlions (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae): Old origin and in situ diversification in Southern Africa. Systematic Entomology (2023).
3. Quantitative analysis of lacewing larvae over more than 100 million years reveals a complex pattern of loss of morphological diversity. Scientific Reports (2023).
4. Diverse Cretaceous larvae reveal the evolutionary and behavioural history of antlions and lacewings. Nature Communications (2018).
5. An integrative phylogenomic approach to elucidate the evolutionary history and divergence times of Neuropterida (Insecta: Holometabola). BMC Ecology and Evolution (2020).
6. A soil-carrying lacewing larva in Early Cretaceous Lebanese amber. Scientific Reports (2018).