Comment on Phylogenetic analyses with four new Cretaceous bristletails reveal inter‐relationships of Archaeognatha and Gondwana origin of Meinertellidae

A new phylogenetic analysis confirms the ancient lineage of Machilidae, revealing that members of this bristletail group were already present in the Middle Triassic, approximately 100 million years earlier than previously estimated. This study builds on a previous analysis by including key fossils from Monte San Giorgio, such as Gigamachilis triassicus and †Monura, to assess their evolutionary relationships using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. The findings suggest that †Monura may be paraphyletic, depending on the analytical method, while reinforcing the placement of G. triassicus within Machilidae. This research deepens our understanding of Archaeognatha evolution and challenges prior temporal estimates for this insect lineage.

Montagna, M. (2019). Comment on Phylogenetic analyses with four new Cretaceous bristletails reveal inter‐relationships of Archaeognatha and Gondwana origin of Meinertellidae. Cladistics, 36(2), 227–231. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12387