What approximate age is the fossilized insect *Zekuforma maculata*?
Answer
230 million years
The fossilized insect specimen known as *Zekuforma maculata* is a crucial marker in understanding the antiquity of aquatic insects. Discoveries like this one provide concrete evidence that insects were successfully adapting to either fully aquatic or semi-aquatic environments approximately 230 million years ago. This specific dating has had a significant impact on evolutionary timelines, suggesting that certain developmental pathways related to aquatic life solidified much earlier than previously theorized by earlier scientific models, pushing back the known history of insect adaptation to water.
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