Fossil age data and molecular sequences are increasingly combined to establish a
timescale for the Tree of Life. Arthropods, as the most species-rich and morphologically …

Insects are the most speciose group of animals, but the phylogenetic relationships of many
major lineages remain unresolved. We inferred the phylogeny of insects from 1478 protein …

Adhesive pads are functional systems with specific micro-and nanostructures which evolved
as a response to specific environmental conditions and therefore exhibit convergent traits …

Phasmatodea comprises over 3,000 extant species and stands out as one of the last
remaining insect orders for which a robust, higher-level phylogenetic hypothesis is lacking …

The insect order Phasmatodea is known for large slender insects masquerading as twigs or
bark. In contrast to these so-called stick insects, the subordinated clade of leaf insects …

Background The re-evolution of complex characters is generally considered impossible, yet,
studies of recent years have provided several examples of phenotypic reversals shown to …

To better understand insect evolution, fossils–mainly known by their wings–must be used as
terminals in phylogenetic analyses. Such analyses are, however, rarely performed because …

(Leprocaulinus, Macrophasma, and Phobaeticus) and conspecific males being winged.
Ocelli are present only in individuals capable of flight, but are also absent in many winged …

The eggs of stick and leaf insects (Phasmatodea) bear strong resemblance to plant seeds
and are commonly dispersed by females dropping them to the litter. Here we report a novel …

Mimicry and secondary defense are staples among predator–prey interactions. Among
insects, the stick and leaf insects are masters of camouflage. Nonetheless, a meager …