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TacticalMalice 6 hours ago

The earliest angiosperms appeared in the Cretaceous. This is after the appearance of Hymenoptera (Jurassic) and Diptera (Triassic). While a nice story, this needs additional substantiation. An alternative explanation is likelier imo.

adrian_b 4 hours ago | parent [-]

The early Hymenoptera were predatory, like wasps still are.

Bees, which feed on pollen and nectar from plant flowers, instead of catching other insects, have evolved much later from wasp-like Hymenoptera, after angiosperms were already widespread.

So the timeline fits into the story.

xipho 3 hours ago | parent [-]

> were predatory ... ?

Were they? Sawflies are herbivores, and are at minimum share a common ancestor with those that were not herbivores.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098221...