A double-edged sword: evolutionary novelty along deep-time diversity oscillation in an iconic group of predatory insects (Neuroptera: Mantispoidea)

Evolutionary novelties are commonly identified as drivers of lineage diversification, with key innovations potentially triggering adaptive radiation. Nevertheless, testing hypotheses on the role of evolutionary novelties in promoting diversification through deep time has proven challenging. Here we unravel the role of the raptorial appendages, with evolutionary novelties for predation, in the macroevolution of a predatory insect lineage, the Superfamily Mantispoidea (mantidflies, beaded lacewings, thorny lacewings, and dipteromantispids), based on a new dated phylogeny and quantitative evolutionary analyses on modern and fossil species. We demonstrate a single origin of the raptorial foreleg and its associated novelties as key innovations triggering an early radiation of raptorial mantispoids from the Late Triassic to the Early Jurassic. Subsequently, the evolution of the raptorial foreleg influenced the diversification in different modes among lineages. At times, it might have limited ..., , , # A Double-edged Sword: Evolutionary Novelty along Deep-time Diversity Oscillation in An Iconic Group of Predatory Insects (Neuroptera: Mantispoidea)

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h18931zth](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.h18931zth)

## Description of the data and file structure

**README:** **A Double-edged Sword: Evolutionary Novelty along Deep-time Diversity Oscillation in An Iconic Group of Predatory Insects (Neuroptera: Mantispoidea)**

The data provided consists of the original morphological datasets (three .nex files compressed as the .zip), original morphological figures (.jpg files compressed as .zip), original input and output data of phylogenetic analyses (compressed as .zip), original input and output data of morphospace analyses (compressed as .zip), original input and output data of diversification rate analyses (compressed as. zip) and original R scripts.

### Files and variables

#### **File: Phylogenetic\_analyses.zip**

**Description:** It includes the input and outpu...