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Evidence for social parasitism of early insect societies by Cretaceous rove beetles

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  • Shûhei Yamamoto

    (Entomological Laboratory, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University)

  • Munetoshi Maruyama

    (The Kyushu University Museum)

  • Joseph Parker

    (Columbia University
    American Museum of Natural History)

Abstract

The evolution of eusociality in ants and termites propelled both insect groups to their modern ecological dominance. Yet, eusociality also fostered the evolution of social parasitism—an adverse symbiosis, in which the superorganismal colonies formed by these insects are infiltrated by a profusion of invertebrate species that target nest resources. Predominant among these are the aleocharine rove beetles (Staphylinidae), a vast and ecologically diverse subfamily with numerous morphologically and behaviourally specialized socially parasitic lineages. Here, we report a fossil aleocharine, Mesosymbion compactus gen. et sp. nov., in Burmese amber (∼99 million years old), displaying specialized anatomy that is a hallmark of social parasites. Mesosymbion coexisted in the Burmese palaeofauna with stem-group ants and termites that provide the earliest indications of eusociality in both insect groups. We infer that the advent of eusociality led automatically and unavoidably to selection for social parasitism. The antiquity and adaptive flexibility of aleocharines made them among the first organisms to engage in this type of symbiosis.

Suggested Citation

  • Shûhei Yamamoto & Munetoshi Maruyama & Joseph Parker, 2016. "Evidence for social parasitism of early insect societies by Cretaceous rove beetles," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms13658
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13658
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