Wings consume a lot of energy, so throughout evolutionary history, many insect species have independently lost the ability to fly. But there are more than a half-million known beetle species, and until now, all have had at least some form of hard forewing elytra. Dr. Ferreira also connected the species to a poorly understood evolutionary trend he and others have studied called paedomorphosis. In this phenomenon, adult females of some beetle species retain a few of their juvenile features, look more like larvae and sometimes even lose their wings. The winglessness of the male Xenomorphon baranowskii resembles what has been found in females of those beetle species.

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Persons: ”, Michael Ivie, Ferreira Organizations: Montana State University, Wings