Amber from Myanmar’s Kachin region continues to reveal surprising glimpses of life from the age of dinosaurs. Preserved in 100 million-year-old resin are the fossils of an ancient forest ecosystem that once supported an incredible diversity of life, including species never seen before.
Now, researchers at Munich’s Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) have identified a newly discovered true bug (of the order Heteroptera) with one particularly unusual feature. Its front legs ended in large claw-like structures similar to crab claws. These appendages, known as serrations, function like forceps and are extremely rare among insects.
Ancient insect with unusual crab-like claws
“Previously, such sawtooths were known from only three insect groups, so this fossil represents the fourth known example of these structures evolving independently within insects,” explains Privatdozent Carolyn Haug, a zoologist at LMU’s Department of Biology.
Haug and his colleagues worked with researchers from the University of Rostock and the University of Oulu in Finland to study the fossil in detail. The research team used microcomputed tomography to create highly detailed 3D images that allowed them to examine the insect’s anatomy. Their findings were published in the magazine insect.
The scientists also conducted extensive morphological comparisons involving more than 2,000 serratids and similar grasping appendages from both extant and extinct species. Their analysis revealed that the fossil insect’s claws were markedly different from those found in other insects. Instead, its structure closely resembled that seen in more distant arthropods, such as the Decapoda (crabs, lobsters, shrimp, etc.) and the Tanaidae.
New species named after Stray Kids
Due to its very unusual anatomy, this insect was assigned to an entirely new genus. carcinonepa. The name comes from the Latinized Greek word “crab” (carcino-). neparefers to the true group Nepomorpha.
“The species name is release “This is the Latinization of the hugely successful K-pop group Stray Kids,” explains Carolyn Haug. “We thought the name was fitting because Fossil’s sawtooth posture closely resembles the group’s trademark pose.” We might add that Stray Kids is one of the paper’s authors, Fenja Haug,’s favorite band. ”
Based on conserved physical characteristics, researchers Carcinepa Liberantes As part of the true caterpillars (Nepomorpha) within the broader true insect group (Heteroptera). Aside from the dramatic claws, the insect’s body shares similarities with modern toads, also called toad beetles, which are land-dwelling predators.
A small predator from the Cretaceous forest
The form of C. release “This suggests that this species had a similar lifestyle, perhaps living in Cretaceous forests near the coast,” observes Carolyn Haug.
Researchers believe that the oversized serrations on the front legs were probably used to capture and hold small insect prey while hunting in ancient coastal environments.
