Apachius Madseni This is the first fossil representative of the mysterious earwig family Apachiidae.
The newly described species lived in what is now Europe during the early Eocene, about 55 million years ago.
with scientific name Apachius Madsenithe ancient insect was about 1.9 centimeters (0.75 inches) long.
belongs to the genus Apacius in the family Apacidaeis part of a larger insect order Dermatoptera (commonly known as earwig).
Currently, extant species of this family are found only in south-central Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia.
They are generally characterized by relatively large, flat bodies and often bright colors.
“Today, the Apaceae family consists of 15 living species in two genera, 13 of which are Apacius And in two Dendroiketes) similarly Apachius Madseni'' said paleontologist Jan Audun Rasmussen of the Mors Museum.
“The current species are distributed in Central Africa (three species) and from India to the Philippines and Australia (the remaining species).”
The discovery of Apachius Madseni Therefore, we show that the range of Apacidae has expanded considerably, indicating that the current distribution of this family is not necessarily indicative of its past distribution or biogeographic origin. ”
almost completed single Apachius Madseni The fossil was discovered in a fur layer in Mors, northwestern Denmark.
“This fossil is the second species of Dermatoptera to be described from the fur layer, and the first representative of the enigmatic Apacidae,” the paleontologists said.
According to the authors, this formation's diatomaceous clay deposits formed the seafloor of northwestern Denmark during the early Eocene, when Denmark was completely covered by sea.
Because modern members of the Apaceae family live under the bark of trees, they believe that: Apachius Madseni It was carried to the sea covered in the bark of a tree trunk that is thought to have drifted ashore from Sweden or Norway about 55 million years ago.
“It's no surprise that we found the ancestor of this tropical and subtropical earwig family so far north as Denmark,” Dr. Rasmussen said.
“55 million years ago, the ocean that covered what is now Denmark was subtropical to almost tropical, as evidenced by the fish, bird, insect, and plant fossils found in ancient seafloor deposits on the islands of Mors and Fir. It is reflected.”
of findings appear in the diary paleoentomology.
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Thomas J. Simonsen others. 2024. Apachius Madseni (Dermoptera: Apacidae) sp. November discovery in the Ypresian fur layer in Denmark: the first fossil record of the mysterious earwig family Apacidae. paleoentomology 007 (5): 638-644;doi: 10.11646/Paleoentomology.7.5.7
Source: www.sci.news
