New Species of Extinct Flat Bug Found Preserved in Baltic Amber

Researchers discovered a new species of flat bug from the past that was trapped in amber deposits.

A piece of Eocene Baltic Amber that dates back to some 45 million years was found embedded with a well preserved extinct flat bug belonging to a new species. The flat bug dubbed Aradus Macrosomus belongs to the genus Aradus.

This finding is one of the many important discoveries revealed from the Baltic ambers in recent times and it also highlights the unexpected richness of species diversity preserved in the Baltic ambers.

 Baltic Amber, is the fossilized tree resin that is found on or near the shores of the eastern Baltic Sea. It is known to represent the largest deposit of ambers in the world rich in well preserved biological as well as zoological objects, especially arthropods.

The newly discovered species from the past is a large representative of the genus Aradus and gets its name due to its unusual size in which 'marcos' refers to large in Greek and 'soma' means body. Till date nearly 14 species belonging to the genus Aradus have been described from the Baltic amber inclusion. 

What distinguishes this new specie from all the other species of Aradus of the Baltic Amber is the large body size, wide rounded body, structure of head with laterally protruding eyes, long and thin antennae and shape of the pronotum and scutellum.

The extant species of flat bugs were known to thrive on and under the bark of dead trees, and this helps to understand more clearly why most of the species are well preserved in the amber deposits.

The finding was documented in the journal Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift.