Evolution and palaeosynecology of the Mesozoic earwigs (Insecta: Dermaptera)

Sinoprotodiplatys zhangi gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Liaoning Province, near Beipiao City, China. It is one of the most recent representatives of the suborder Archidermaptera. The classification and synonymies among the archidermapteran families are reassessed. The palaeosynecological evolution of the Mesozoic earwigs is analysed using the new tool of the ‘Wagner Parsimony using Morphological Characters’ method (‘WAPUM’), suggesting that the evolution of the morphology of these insects was very progressive, perhaps owing to their way of life in the soil.