Research Square (Research Square), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 10, 2025

Background Lineage-specific adult structures form through modifications of preexisting juvenile body parts during postembryonic development in insects. It remains unclear how these novel traits originate from ancestral within the constrained plan. In coffin-headed cricket Loxoblemmus equestris, an rounded head shape directly transforms into a flattened, derived sex-specific manner. To understand origin traits, we investigated L. equestris as model lineage-specific novelty. Results Detailed two- and three-dimensional analyses developing revealed that sexually dimorphic epithelial patterns formed specific region, frons, preadult instar. The male-specific shapes are following final molt to adulthood even after timing shifts metamorphosis induced by RNA interference targeting evolutionarily conserved metamorphic gene network. Conclusions These findings demonstrate metamorphosis, led E93, locally relaxes plan constraint permit dramatic transformation modifying folding equestris. This highlights concentrated driver creates lineage- forms hexapod lineage.

Language: Английский