Illustration of the newly described species, Telmatomyia talbragarica, in its paleoenvironment (IMAGE)

Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)

Illustration of the newly described species, Telmatomyia talbragarica, in its paleoenvironment

Caption

An international team of scientists led by the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) has described a new species of fossilized insect from the Australian Jurassic period, estimated to be around 151 million years old. It represents the oldest known member in the Southern Hemisphere of the Chironomidae family — non-biting midges that inhabit freshwater environments. The fossil shows a unique evolutionary adaptation: a mechanism, that likely allowing it to firmly anchor to surrounding rocks. Until now, this mechanism was thought to be exclusive to marine species.

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Valentyna Inshyna.

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