The form and change of animal biogeography reflects the long-term interplay between organisms and their environment, involving physiological limitation, dispersal capability, and adaptive evolution versus plate tectonics, global climatic shifts, and changing landscapes. This is especially manifest for lineages with extended geological histories, which, therefore, evokes questions as to the associated processes producing such patterns. Insects, as the earliest flying animals, have exceptional abilities for expanding their range and habitats and to avoid detrimental conditions. They are ideal for exploring historical biogeography augmented via adaptation. Here, we employ beaded lacewings as a model to explore such patterns and likely processes, particularly given that they differ notably from the commonly observed pattern of a latitudinal diversity gradient. Furthermore, owing to their good fossil record it can be observed that their distributions varied remarkably through time. Ecological niche modeling and evaluation demonstrate their niche variation and niche breadth expansion intermittently accompanying global climate change. However, different niche relevant variables changed under patterns of either phylogenetic conservatism or evolutionary lability. By assessing wing morphological disparity and modeling flight aerodynamics, we uncovered a continuous improvement of flight efficiency through beaded-lacewing history as well as a Paleogene divergence in strategy, which reveals a long-term associated path with the niche variation. Our results unveil the adaptive evolution and dispersal history of beaded lacewings through 170 My, achieved by dynamic strategies in niche shift and flight adaptation as responses to a changing planet.

In recent years, as more and more fossil species of berothids from Myanmar have been reported, the species and morphological diversity of Berothidae continues to increase. Herein, one new species of Berothidae, Aggregataberotha paucipunctata sp. nov., and one new genus, Sejunctaberotha gen. nov., with three new species (Sejunctaberotha sphaerica gen. et sp. nov., Sejunctaberotha tenuis gen. et sp. nov. and Sejunctaberotha transversa gen. et sp. nov.) are described from mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber. A. paucipunctata sp. nov. is assigned to Aggregataberotha Wang, Huang & Wang, 2022, based on the characteristics of the similar female terminalia and wing venation, but can be different from A. punctate regarding the pale pterostigma and a few detailed features of wing venation. Additionally, representatives of Sejunctaberotha gen. nov. are remarkably different from the representatives of the other genera within Berothidae in the configuration of wing venation. For example, Sejunctaberotha gen. nov. has simple subcostal veinlets, obviously free Sc and RA at the apex present both in fore- and hindwings, a single ra-rp crossvein connecting the RA with RP3, a single rp-m crossvein locating before the origin of the MP, a simple CuP and no gradate veins. Interestingly, in one of the specimens of Sejunctaberotha gen. nov., a pair of spherical bulges was found at the end of the antennae. The new genus Sejunctaberotha gen. nov. suggests that Berothidae had a higher potential diversification during the Mesozoic Era.

Two new genera and two new species of kalligrammatids, Electrogramma transformatum gen. et sp. nov. and Lasiogramma ooideum gen. et sp. nov., are described from the Late Cretaceous Myanmar amber. Electrogramma gen. nov. differs from other genera by its relatively large wing size; with a set of interlinked veinlets between costal crossveins, multiple rows of cells in base of CuP and AA; CuA distal forked while CuP pectinately branched near wing base in hind wing. And Lasiogramma gen. nov. is distinguished from other genera by its forewing RP1‒RP3 originating independently from R; costal crossveins absent; RP1 simple; nygma and eye-spot absent. A list of named kalligrammatids is also provided.