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Evolution of insect diversity in the Jehol Biota

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Abstract

Insects of the Jehol Biota, also known as the Jehol Entomofauna, can be divided into three phases, approximately corresponding to the early, middle, and late Jehol Biota. The early phase of the entomofauna is found in the Dabeigou Formation and its coeval horizons (ca. 135–130 Ma). The middle phase is recorded from the lower-middle Yixian Formation (underlying the Jingangshan Bed) and its coeval strata (ca. 130–122.5 Ma). The late phase is found in the lower Jiufotang Formation, the upper Yixian Formation (the Jingangshan and Huanghuashan beds) and their coeval horizons (ca. 122.5–120 Ma). In major distribution areas of the Jehol Biota, the entomofauna changed greatly in species diversity with about 150 species in about 40 families and 11 orders in the early phase, a great increase up to about 500 species in about 100 families and 16 orders in the middle phase, and a decline to about 300 species in about 80 families and 14 orders in the late phase. The entomofauna can also be divided into four insect communities based on habitats or five insect groups based on feeding habits. Each community or group varied in species diversity in a similar trend to the whole entomofauna. However, it kept a comparatively stable position in the ecosystem. Of the four communities, the highest species diversity occurred in the forest community, followed by the aquatic, the soil, and the alpine communities. Of the five groups, the highest species diversity appeared in the phytophagous group, followed by the carnivorous, the parasitic, the saprophagous, and the heterophagous groups.

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    HaiChun Zhang, Bo Wang & Yan Fang

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Zhang, H., Wang, B. & Fang, Y. Evolution of insect diversity in the Jehol Biota. Sci. China Earth Sci. 53, 1908–1917 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-010-4098-5

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