The Insect Group That Does Not Exist

Scientists discovered that the insect group known as Hemerobiiformia is a biological illusion. It turns out this classification accidentally lumped together distantly related species that do not actually share a common ancestor.

For a long time, researchers assumed these winged insects belonged in one tidy family. However, genetic testing revealed that they are actually scattered across the evolutionary tree. Even their closest allies, like antlions, belong to entirely different branches. This major shake-up shows how DNA has rewritten our entire understanding of the insect kingdom.