Evolving perspectives in Hymenoptera systematics: Bridging fossils and genomes across time

The 242–0 Ma Hymenoptera display begins at the older edge of the 242–237 Ma oldest-undisputed xyelid fossil interval and is a fossil minimum, not an origin estimate.

Peters et al. sample transcriptomes across major hymenopteran lineages and Zhang et al. compile named fossil occurrences including Triassic xyelids; the combined evidence is a study-bounded sample, not a complete geographic map of Hymenoptera.

Zhang et al. identify the oldest undisputed xyelid fossils using preserved hymenopteran body and wing characters; that Triassic fossil morphology is a bounded example and does not define one body plan shared by all Hymenoptera.

Peters et al. infer relationships among sampled hymenopteran lineages from transcriptomes and fossil calibrations, while Zhang et al. review competing fossil and molecular interpretations; the atlas retains this as a sampled, revisable classification rather than a single definitive tree.