Catalogue of Organisms will be going through something of a hiatus for the next month or so (just in case anyone would have noticed) as yours truly will be 'going home', as I might have said if I'd been living in 1890. Two weeks in England, followed by a week in Jordan, which, in the way of holidays, seems to add up to four weeks away. After that, barring accidents, it should be business as usual.
Enjoy your holiday, Christopher. We'll try not to wave too many pitchforks of impatience when you return.
ReplyDeleteYes, have a great break. We'll still be here when you get back.
ReplyDeleteGood voyage!
ReplyDeletea paper on insect wings and helmets, any link to eyes development?
B Prud'homme cs 2011 Nature 473:83-86
Body plan innovation in treehoppers through the evolution of an extra wing-like appendage
Body plans, which characterize the anatomical organization of animal groups
of high taxonomic rank, often evolve by the reduction or loss of appendages,
eg, limbs in vertebrates, legs & wings in insects.
In contrast, the addition of new features is extremely rare, and is thought
to be heavily constrained, although the nature of the constraints remains
elusive.
Here we show that the treehopper (Membracidae) ‘helmet’ is actually an
appendage, a wing serial homologue on the first thoracic segment.