NewsPreviously unknown insect species discovered in vintage amber

Previously unknown insect species discovered in vintage amber

Scientists, including those from Poland, decided to examine a fragment of amber with an insect trapped inside. Although the amber was found in the 1960s, it is only now that it has been established that it contains a previously unknown insect species!

An extraordinary discovery in amber. The contribution of Polish scientists.
An extraordinary discovery in amber. The contribution of Polish scientists.
Images source: © Facebook, Getty Images
Anna Wajs-Wiejacka

5 September 2024 19:24

The amber examined by Polish entomologists was one of the 70,000 exhibits in the Danish Natural History Museum's collections. The small piece of amber garnered significant interest from researchers, and for good reason: it contains a small insect from 40 million years ago, when temperatures in Europe were much higher. As the portal sciencesetavenir.fr reminds us, at that time, conditions around the North Sea were quasi-tropical, with a hot, humid climate that favoured the spread of flies, mosquitoes, and midges.

To facilitate the study of the insect embedded in the amber, scientists polished the stone, making it more transparent. During their efforts, it was confirmed that the piece analysed comes from Baltic amber deposits. They decided to identify the species to which the hymenopteran trapped in the amber belongs.

To do this, they focused on the genitalia of the Hymenoptera. "The male has appendages or claws next to the genitalia, which he uses to grasp the female during mating. We used the shape of these claws to identify it," explains Lars Vilhelmsen, one of the authors of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Amber revealed a mystery from the past

According to the results, the hymenopteran trapped in the amber is a new species named Robsonomyia henningseni. Insects of the genus Robsonomyia are currently found only in Hokkaido, Japan, and California, USA. This was an intriguing discovery, especially considering the distance between these two areas.

For scientists, discovering an ancient member of this group in Europe suggests that they may have travelled from one area to another in stages, and Northern Europe was one of them.

Related content
© Daily Wrap
·

Downloading, reproduction, storage, or any other use of content available on this website—regardless of its nature and form of expression (in particular, but not limited to verbal, verbal-musical, musical, audiovisual, audio, textual, graphic, and the data and information contained therein, databases and the data contained therein) and its form (e.g., literary, journalistic, scientific, cartographic, computer programs, visual arts, photographic)—requires prior and explicit consent from Wirtualna Polska Media Spółka Akcyjna, headquartered in Warsaw, the owner of this website, regardless of the method of exploration and the technique used (manual or automated, including the use of machine learning or artificial intelligence programs). The above restriction does not apply solely to facilitate their search by internet search engines and uses within contractual relations or permitted use as specified by applicable law.Detailed information regarding this notice can be found  here.