What implication does the 230-million-year-old *Zekuforma maculata* fossil have for evolutionary timelines?
Answer
It suggests early diversification lineages predated the peak rise of dinosaurs.
The discovery of *Zekuforma maculata* dating back to the Middle Triassic period provides a critical minimum age for the early evolutionary framework of the beetle group that would later yield aquatic forms. Because this fossil is so ancient, its existence implies that the deep ancestral lineages leading toward water beetles were already established and diversifying significantly prior to the zenith of dinosaur dominance on Earth. This pushes the potential timeline for the initial separation of these lineages much further back into the Mesozoic era than previously inferred solely from studying modern species.
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