[ad_1]
A 99-million-year-old insect preserved inside a piece of amber provides scientists with new clues as to how the landmasses of the Earth were developed millions of years ago. In 2016, Shuhei Yamamoto studied the creature imprisoned in a piece of Myanmar-sized Burma-sized Burma amble from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar, and discovered that it was not the same. Was acting from a new species.
Yamamoto is a researcher at Field Museum and the main author of an article describing the new species. He explained that the fossil beetle is a rare find because he is one of the oldest members of his family. Based on the fact that it is a former parent of the Piestus Beetle, the species has been named Propiestus archaicus.
Living alongside the Upper Cretaceous dinosaurs, Propiestus had a flattened body, a long antenna and short legs. It could be found under the bark of decaying trees – an environment similar to that of today's flat beetles.
"The antennas probably had an extremely sensitive sensory organ capacity," said Yamamoto.
Smaller hair-like structures attached perpendicular to the antennae would have increased the ability of the beetle to feel its surroundings. "There would not have been much space available in the beetle habitat, so it was important to be able to detect everything."
The cousins of the still-living Propiestus beetle are found mainly in South America, with the exception of one species from southern Arizona. Propiestus has been found in Myanmar, which is literally on the other side of the world from the Americas, but that has not always been the case.
Millions of years ago, Myanmar and South America were very close to each other in the Gondwanaland megacontinent, which formed at the time of the break of the first megacontinent Pangea. Eventually, Gondwana and Gondwana also split apart, at which point the continents began to form as we recognize them today.
Scientists have a clear idea of today's continents that make up Gondwana and Brother Laurasia's continent. However, the detailed timetable and structure of the Gondwana split is not yet clear.
"Like koalas and kangaroos today, some animals that we believe lived in Gondwana are only found in one part of the world," Yamamoto said. "Although Propiestus has long since disappeared, our findings probably show some amazing connections between the southern hemisphere and Myanmar. Our conclusion is consistent with the assumption that, unlike what is happening today, Myanmar was once located in the southern hemisphere. "
Many inclusions in Burmese amber that have been the focus of research over the past 15 years, including Propiestus, have traits in common with Gondwana insects. By studying these small creatures trapped in amber, experts can begin to answer questions about the structure of the Earth millions of years ago.
"This fossil helps us understand life in the Mesozoic era," Yamamoto said. "We have to think about everything that happens from that time, big and small."
The study is published in Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
–
By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Editor
Picture c) Field Museum, Shuhei Yamamoto
[ad_2]
Source link
