#myrtaceae — Public Fediverse posts

Extremely well-preserved #fossil #sawfly sheds new light on co-#evolution of #insects and toxic plants https://phys.org/news/2024-10-extremely-fossil-sawfly-evolution-insects.html paper by Juanita Rodriguez et al.: https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12653

"They eat the leaves of #Myrtaceae—woody #plants that include eucalypts—because they have mouthparts with which they can separate toxic oils or a chemical detoxification system inside their gut. This enables the #larvae, sometimes called spitfires, to use the oils as a defensive weapon."

"#Syzygium australe is a summer-flowering, winter-fruiting evergreen tree, native to #Australia and belonging to the myrtle family #Myrtaceae. It shares the common name "#lillypilly" with several other plants." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium_australe