What geological period suggests the origin of the wasp lineage based on its ancestry within the broader neuropteroid branch?
Answer
Late Permian period
The lineage of wasps, tracing back to its closest relatives like snakeflies and alderflies within the neuropteroid branch of insects, is placed temporally no earlier than the Late Permian period according to current fossil evidence regarding their deep ancestry. This places their initial divergence before the earliest direct fossil evidence of wasps themselves, which appears later in the Triassic. This early placement signifies the deep geological roots of the Hymenoptera group within the ancient insect tree structure.
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