Data from: From setae to scales: Burmese amber fossils reveal the early Cretaceous innovation of body coverings in scaly crickets

Scales have evolved independently in multiple insect orders, contributing
to color diversity through both pigmentary and structural mechanisms.
Within Orthoptera, the subfamily Mogoplistinae (Grylloidea: Mogoplistidae)
represents the sole lineage bearing specialized scales, yet the
evolutionary origins of this unique body covering remain poorly
understood. Here, we report four new species critical to resolving this
question: Protomogoplistes ciliatus sp. nov., Crinitipes calvus gen. et
sp. nov., Burmamogoplistes acutifolius gen. et sp. nov., and Angustisquama
bicolor gen. et sp. nov. We demonstrate that Mogoplistinae scales are
derived from modified setae, and our results reveal that scale evolution
in Mogoplistidae followed an "innovation-first, radiation-later"
trajectory, with this key innovation emerging by the mid-Cretaceous. The
development of scales likely served as a pivotal driver, facilitating
Mogoplistinae's subsequent ecological diversification.