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The larval life phase often represents the major share of the life span of holometabolans, such as beetles or flies. Therefore, knowledge of these larvae is crucial concerning ecological functions, but also concerning the evolutionary history of the different groups. In the holometabolan group Neuroptera (lacewings), larvae have numerous specialisations, among them the venom-injecting mouthparts, the stylets. Another such very characteristic feature of many lacewing larvae is the empodium, an attachment structure at the tip of the leg, which varies in shape in the larvae of the different lacewing groups. One type of empodium is the elongate trumpet-shaped type, which is found in several lacewing groups today as well as in many fossil representatives, especially well visible due to preservation in amber. Based on the pattern of phylogenetic distribution of the elongate trumpet-shaped empodium, different reconstructions of the evolution of this structure have been put forward, some suggesting possibly convergent evolution, others repetitive losses. In this study, new lacewing larvae preserved in 100-million-year-old amber from Myanmar are presented, which expand the number of lineages with an elongate trumpet-shaped empodium. Based on these new data, the implications on the evolutionary history of the different lineages within Neuroptera are discussed. The fossils demand for an earlier evolution in some reconstructions, but especially for more and later losses of this structure.

Subjective vitality describes the positive feeling of experiencing physical and mental energy, which can lead to purposive actions, but no German instruments exist with action-oriented verbiage: This work supports the development and modification of already existing German Subjective Vitality Scales and provides further evidence for its psychometric properties. In a first step (N = 56) two modified (action-oriented) short-forms were developed. An extension of time perspectives (past, present, future) should also enrich the scale by enhancing the accuracy of self-reports. Study 1 (N = 183) then examined the psychometric properties for each time perspective. Study 2 (N = 27) was a 6-day diary study to identify the reliability of within- and between-person differences in vitality over time and working days with responses recorded three times per day. The exploratory factor analysis from study 1 revealed a three-factor solution with three items each. Test-retest reliability was moderate for the past and future time perspective and less stable for state subjective vitality. The modified German Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS-GM) showed divergent validity with fatigue, negative affect, and optimism, and convergent but distinguishable validity with life satisfaction, positive affect, and perceived self-efficacy. High reliability for daily vitality measures (with lower vitality rates in the morning) was found in study 2, but no substantial variation was found between working days and days off. The SVS-GM shows good psychometric properties in different settings and provides researchers with a 3-item (for cross-sectional or longitudinal studies) and 1-item (for short screenings) version to measure subjective vitality in German-speaking populations.

Lacewings have been suggested to be a relict group. This means that the group of lacewings, Neuroptera, should have been more diverse in the past, which also applies to many ingroups of Neuroptera. Psychopsidae, the group of silky lacewings, is one of the ingroups of Neuroptera which is relatively species-poor in the modern fauna. Larvae of the group Psychopsidae, long-nosed antlions, can be easily identified as such in being larvae of antlion-like lacewings without teeth in their stylets (=compound structure of mandible and maxilla), with empodia (=attachment structures on legs) and with a prominent forward-protruding labrum. Therefore, such larvae can also be recognised in the fossil record. An earlier study demonstrated a decline in the morphological diversity of long-nosed antlion larvae over the past 100 million years. Here, we report several dozen new long-nosed antlion larvae and expand the earlier quantitative study. Our results further corroborate the decline of silky lacewings. Yet, a lack of an indication of saturation indicates that we have still not approached the original diversity of long-nosed antlions in the Cretaceous.