A pollinating beetle from the era of the dinosaurs found in a piece of amber
Paleontologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered an ancient pollinator beetle that lived back in the days of the dinosaurs. His body, along with pollen particles, was preserved in a piece of amber from Myanmar, according to Nature Plants.
Scientists have found that this insect landed on angiosperms. They were able to see the hairs on the abdomen – apparently, they helped the beetle to capture and carry pollen.
The age of the find is, according to the study, about 99 million years. The beetle belongs to the Kateretidae family of flowers. Its representatives still live in Australia today.
Paleontologists noted that the ancient beetle is almost indistinguishable from its modern relatives. He probably collected the pollen of the first flowering plants on the planet. The insect was named Pelretes vivificus. His discovery showed that the first pollinators appeared on Earth almost simultaneously with the first flower ones. They quickly evolved and completely changed the plant world of the planet.
Earlier it was reported that a bark beetle was found in amber. Its age was about 100 million years.
