Kukalova-Peck

Dr. Jarmila Kukalova-Peck, is a Czech paleoentomologist , well-known by her theories on insects evolution, particularly by her theory on insect’s wing evolution, which raises that the origin of this structure is from an epicoxal exite of the insect’s leg, known as epicoxal theory , also must to Kukalova-Peck among other contributions are: a new system of wing veins homologation, a hypothetical scheme of insect’s ancestral wing and a new proposal for arthropod’s leg original components.

Kukalova-Peck began her career working with extinct Paleopterous insects, especially with the paleozoics groups: Diaphanopteroidea , Paleodictyoptera , Megasecoptera and Archodonata , which she call Palaeodictyopteroid Assemblage , working with these groups, particularly with fossils of Homoiopteridae (Palaeodictyoptera), she outlined her theory on the epicoxal origin of the wing, which contradicted the old and widely accepted Paranotal theory of wing origin (Crampton, 1919). Her theory, which is supported by news discoveries in the fields of developmental genetics and molecular phylogenetics is at the moment accepted as the most likely one.

Also due to her work with fossils, is the elaboration of a system of insect’s wing veins homologation, that today takes her name and which is the easier and the most general one of all the systems that has been proposed. Kukalova’s system nowadays competes with Comstock and Needham ’s system (1898) in entomologist’s preference.

Dr. Jarmila Kukalova-Peck is at the moment a professor of the Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Canada.