# What did insect wings evolve from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-insect-wings-evolve-from/571031 "2011-02-11T16:02:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-insect-wings-evolve-from/571031/1 "2011-02-11T16:02:51Z")
A bird’s or bat’s wings evolved out of their forelimbs. But all insects, winged and wingless, have the standard six limbs. What did insect wings evolve from? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-insect-wings-evolve-from/571031/2 "2011-02-11T16:05:08Z")
Gill covers. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-insect-wings-evolve-from/571031/3 "2011-02-11T16:12:11Z")
This article from last March claims that wings are the result of two genes that were already present in insects, one that forms legs and another that forms shells. [http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergano/2010-03-26-wings29\_ST\_COLUMN\_N.htm](http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergano/2010-03-26-wings29_ST_COLUMN_N.htm) > [@](#): > > Both genes were already present in the wingless ancient ancestor of today’s flying bugs, the researchers note, because they had other jobs to do. One plays a role in development of the insect shell (vestigial) and the other helps limb growth (wingless). Add them together and you have a shelled limb — a wing, they conclude. There is much more info in the article. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-insect-wings-evolve-from/571031/4 "2011-02-12T02:46:01Z")
Well what did the limbs that turned into wings evolve from? It all goes back to a single cell. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-insect-wings-evolve-from/571031/5 "2011-02-12T03:04:41Z")
> [@ChrisBooth12](#): > > Well what did the limbs that turned into wings evolve from? It all goes back to a single cell. My point was that if wings evolved from legs, there would be six-legged non-flying insects and four-legged winged insects. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-insect-wings-evolve-from/571031/6 "2011-02-12T03:47:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > My point was that if wings evolved from legs, there would be six-legged non-flying insects and four-legged winged insects. As far as we an tell, the limbs that gave rise to wings weren’t legs, they were gills. The same [gill limbs](http://www.troutnut.com/im_glossary/picture_115_small.jpg)exist today in [mayfly larvae](http://dragonflywoman.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/mayfly-gills1.jpg), [chelicerates](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/3140234678_f18da568cf.jpg?v=0)and in many [crustaceans](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Euphausia_gills.jpg/220px-Euphausia_gills.jpg). So what we would expect to see is insects with 6 legs and 2 pair fewer gills. Of course since insects have long since lost their gills in the adult stage, we see that they are missing \*all \*their gill pairs.