Insect evolution: a major problem for Darwinism

Insects provide a severe challenge for Darwinian evolution. In contrast with the vertebrate fossil record, for example, where only bones are available, evolutionary speculation can run wild, but the exquisite detail of fossil insects has produced virtual silence on this front. A review of the insect fossil record literature reveals a complete lack of evidence for the evolution of insects and other arthropods. This is true in spite of an abundance of fossil insects preserved in amber, coal, volcanic ash, tar, and other environments dating back to the Cambrian era. The evolution of insect flight, wing folding, compound eyes and metamorphosis in particular lack fossil evidence—and these have presented significant difficulties for Darwinism for over a century and a half. The major differences between ancient and modern insects are that ancient insects were either larger than those of today or they have become extinct.