The Origin of Insects

摘要

Although hexapods—those arthropods having six legs, including insects— are the most diverse group of contemporary animals in terms of biological niches and number of species, their origin is highly debated. A key problem is the almost complete absence of fossils that connect hexapods to the other major arthropod subphyla, namely Crustacea, Myriapoda (such as centipedes and millipedes), and Chelicerata (such as scorpions and spiders). Over the years, hexapods (insects, springtails, proturnas, and diplurans) have been phylogenetically linked to all of these major arthropod taxa.