Mon 17 January 2022:
Chinese scientists announced Monday that they uncovered a new form of insect nymph from mid-Cretaceous amber Xinuha reported.
According to scientists this insect dates back to nearly 100 million years ago, extending the geological range of ant mimicry by almost 50 million years.
More than a dozen ant-like alienopterid nymphs were discovered in over 100 fossils from China, the United States, Germany, Slovakia, and other countries by a study team from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“The larvae in the fossil are 3 to 5 millimeters long and have thin abdomens, similar to those of ants. Their antennae and legs are also very close to those of primitive ants,” said Wang Bo, who led the research.
Interestingly, the insect changed its targets as it grew. “Once the alienopterid adults have wings, they could no longer play the role of wingless ants, so they started to ‘imitate’ wasps,” said Wang, whose team confirmed wasp mimicry existing in alienopterid adults.
“The nymphs and adults of the mid-Cretaceous alienopterid imitate entirely different hymenopteran models, and therefore probably provide the first fossil record of transformational mimicry,” said the team.
According to Wang, myrmecomorphy is a phenomenon in which some animals physically and behaviorally mimic ants, and is a type of anthropomorphic behavior that is widely distributed in nature.
“However, an animal that changes its mimics as it grows has never been seen in fossils before,” Wang said. “The transformational mimicry can help the animal spook predators and protect themselves.”
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
