Subterranean species are usually strongly modified both in their morphology and biology. They are usually though as evolutionary dead ends, confined by limited dispersal and strict ecological requirements. In this work we found that in a Pyrenean subterranean beetle lineage an extreme modification, the progressive reduction of the number of larval instars leading to a non-feeding, inactive larvae that does not moult, evolved only once during the lower Miocene. The diversification rate of the species with a single instar was also double that of the species with two or three instars, and similar to other Coleopteran radiations. Our results imply that a highly modified subterranean lineage can expand its geographic range and diversify over long evolutionary periods. The study is a joint work between the I. Ribera Lab and collaborators of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona.
Ref Article: Cieslak A., Fresneda, J, Ribera I.  "Life history specialisation was not an evolutionary dead end in Pyrenean cave beetles." Proc. R. Soc. B, 26 de febrer, http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2978