Get the latest tech news
Stunning fossil trapped in amber reveals previously unknown species
A nearly 100 million-year-old firefly fossilized in amber sheds light on how the bioluminescent insects evolved during the time of dinosaurs, a new study finds.
The recently identified species, dubbed Flammarionella hehaikuni, could help researchers better understand the early evolution of fireflies and this characteristic trait, according to a study published September 11 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. “The fossil helps bridge gaps in understanding the evolutionary history of the lampyroid beetles (the beetle family fireflies belong to) and shows that key traits, like abdominal light organs, have remained consistent since the mid-Cretaceous,” said lead study author Chenyang Cai, professor at Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, in an email. However, no existing Luciolinae species sports the peculiar antennae that the fossil had, which the authors suspect would also differ depending on the sex of the insect, according to the study.
Or read this on Hacker News
