Extinct Species of Fly Discovered in Translucent Tomb of Amber

Meet the Burmapogon bruckschi: A newfound species of fly that lived during the age of the dinosaurs. The now extinct specimens were discovered in a translucent tomb of amber from Myanmar's Hukawng Valley, measuring in at just an inch long.

"The transparency of these amber fossils gives researchers a new window into the ecology of the Cretaceous Period, and sheds light on the evolutionary history of a family of flies that has withstood the test of time for millions of years," said Torsten Dikow, a scientist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History who discovered the species and co-authored the study, via a press release. "The fossils of these ancient flies are so well preserved that you can almost imagine them flying around in our world today."

This new species was discovered after Dikow examined the morphology of a male and female specimen under the microscope and further examined the fly's distinct features, including a long, flattened antennae, spiny hind legs, and a unique v-shaped eye structure, according to psy.org.

The B. bruckschi joins over 7,500 species of other assassin flies, similar to another ancient assassin, known as the Cretagaster raritanensis. 

Yet make no mistake; these flies earned their title. To capture and kill prey, assassin flies stab their prey's exoskeleton and inject digestive juices to suck out their insides, leaving an empty shell behind, according to Live Science. These days, most modern-day assassins prefer sunny, dry and open habitats, and most can be found in all zoogeographical regions, except Antartica. 

Unfortunately, for these creatures, their undoing can come from oozing droplets of resin that fall from trees. For many flies, they may become engulfed and trapped in the amber that flows from tree bark. Fortunately, for scientists, many prehistoric snapshots have been captured through these tiny, translucent scenes.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal American Museum Novitates. 

The study was also co-authored by David Grimaldi, curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Researchers named a second species of assassin fly in the findings Cretagaster raritanensis, (mentioned previously in the article), which was originally discovered in New Jersey amber by Grimaldi in 1999.