Under cover at pre-angiosperm times: a cloaked phasmatodean insect from the Early Cretaceous Jehol biota.

Background: Fossil species that can be conclusively identified as stem-relatives of stick- and leaf-insects (Phasmatodea) are extremely rare, especially for the Mesozoic era. This dearth in the paleontological record makes assessments on the origin and age of the group problematic and impedes investigations of evolutionary key aspects, such as wing development, sexual size dimorphism and plant mimicry.

Methodology/principal Findings: A new fossil insect species, Cretophasmomima melanogramma Wang, Béthoux and Ren sp.