Naugolnykh S.V. 2024. Mimicry in the Triassic Madygen forest // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.33. No.1: 97–105 [in English].
Geological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119017, Russia. E-mails: naugolnykh@list.ru , naugolnykh@rambler.ru
doi: 10.15298/arthsel.33.1.09
ABSTRACT. The paper deals with the putative example of mimicry between the blattoid insect Sogdoblatta and some plants with the pinnate foliages, first of all osmundacean ferns of the Cladophlebis genus. This example is based on the material collected from the famous Middle to Upper Triassic Madygen locality, disposed in Kirgizstan. The mimicry was formed by same shape of the blattoid forewings and the pinnules (ultimate segments, or segments of last order) of the pinnate plant leaves, same pattern of venation and same size of the forewings and leaf pinnules. Most probably this camouflage adaptation was aimed for hiding tactics of Sogdoblatta for avoiding being attacked by the insect-eating reptiles of Madygen, such as Sharovipteryx or Longisquama.
KEY WORDS: Triassic, paleoecology, Blattoidea, insect-plant interactions, ferns, pteridosperms, mimicry.