Table 1. Comparative overview of principal morphological and structural scale characteristics.
(A) Scales of scale-bearing hexapod lineages examined in this study (for details, see the Supplementary Materials). (B) Distinctive Rhaetian-Hettangian lepidopteran scale types. “-”, absence of a trait; “?”, uncertainty regarding presence/absence or interpretation of a trait.
| Group | Apical margin | Cross ridges | Microribs | Structure | Perforations | Herringbone pattern |
| A | ||||||
| Collembola | Rounded | - | - | Solid | - | - |
| Archaeognatha | Rounded | Far apart, rectangular cells | - | Hollow | Yes | - |
| Zygentoma | Rounded | Indistinct, irregular | - | Solid | - | - |
| Psocoptera | Rounded | - | - | Solid | - | - |
| Coleoptera | Rounded | - | - | Hollow | - | - |
| Trichoptera | Rounded | - | - | Hollow | Some | - |
| Culicidae | Rounded | Moderately dense | - | Solid | - | - |
| Berothidae | Rounded | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Kalligrammatidae | Rounded | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Micropterigidae | Rounded | Dense | Yes? | Solid | - | Dense |
| Eriocranidae | Rounded | Dense | Yes | Solid | - | - |
| Coelolepida | Serrated/rounded | Dense | Yes | Hollow | Yes | - |
| B | ||||||
| Herringbone | Rounded | ? | - | Solid | - | Dense–moderately dense |
| Hollow | Serrated/rounded | Dense | Present | Hollow | Small, between cross ridges | - |