Amphibious stem-insect sheds light on colonization of land

TL;DR - A fossil restudy using cross-polarized light imaging and phylogenetic reconstruction identifies Chosha praecursor as a probable early-diverging insect. The finding helps narrow the longstanding “hexapod gap” in the fossil record and clarify how insects colonized land.

• The work re-examines a difficult fossil with cross-polarized light imaging.
• Phylogenetic reconstruction places Chosha praecursor near the early divergence of insects.
• Its amphibious characteristics may illuminate the transition of hexapods from aquatic to terrestrial environments.
• The fossil provides evidence within a poorly documented interval of early hexapod evolution.