Understanding the evolution of insect mating behavior is essential for explaining how early insects adapted to life on land. A new study examines Petrobiellus akkesiensis, a rare jumping bristletail, and reveals that its highly specialized male genital structures enable direct spermatophore transfer via genital coupling—a mechanism previously undocumented in apterygote insects. This discovery provides an important missing link in the evolution of mating strategies within Archaeognatha.
