Tag: beetles
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Fossils reveal the long-term relationship between feathered dinosaurs and feather-feeding beetles
Phys.org has a story about an discovery in Mesozoic amber. The amber reveals a parasitic beetle feeding on some feathers. The researchers were unable to determine if the relationship was one of mutual benefit or one-sided. The amber is about 105 million years old from a Spanish locality near San Just. The paper was published…
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Scientists name new frog-legged beetle fossil for Sir David Attenborough
Phys.org has a story about a newly described fossil insect. The beetle, Pulchritudo attenboroughi, is named for Sir David Attenborough. The name means “Attenborough’s Beauty”. It was found in what is now Colorado in the famous Green River Formation. The full description of the insect appeared in a paper in the journal Papers in Paleontology.…
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Palaeocast Episode 127: Coprolite Inclusions
Palaeocast has a new episode. This one is relevant given the recent discovery of a beetle in a coprolite from the Triassic of Poland. One of the factors that makes palaeontology such a popular science is its constant ability to surprise us. It seems almost every week that a new study is released that significantly…
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This ancient beetle is the first new species discovered in fossilized poop
Sciencemag,com has a story about a new beetle species, Triamyxa coprolithica, discovered in a coprolite. The fossil dates to about 230 million years ago. Coprolites, which are fossilized dung, can be used to study what plants were eaten by herbivores back when the dung was deposited. Previously, fossilized bone and phytoliths, which are microscopic silica…
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Cretaceous Amber Fossil Sheds Light on Evolution of Bioluminescence in Beetles
Science Tech Daily has a story about bioluminescence in beetles. This study, which was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, looked at an insect preserved in amber from Myanmar. Myanmar amber dates to Cretaceous Period about 99 million years ago, Bioluminescence has fascinated people since time immemorial. The majority of organisms…
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PLOS Paleo: Vote for the Top 10 Taxa of 2017
On the PLOS Paleo blog, you can vote for the top 10 taxa of 2017. There’s many interesting choices, both vertebrate and invertebrate, dinosaurs (Burianosaurus augusta and Borealopelta markmitchelli), fish (Babelichthys olneyi), cats (Anatoliadelphys maasae), and beetles (Antarctotechus balli) are just a few of the possible selections. Have fun and tell all your friends! Hurry…
