Dr Ernst Heiss from the Tiroler Landesmuseum in Innsbruck, Austria, has described a new extinct species of flat bug.
Aradus macrosomus, a 9.2-mm-long female, in dorsal and ventral view. Image credit: Ernst Heiss.
Baltic amber is a fossilized tree resin found on or near the shores of the eastern Baltic Sea.
It is exceptionally rich in well-preserved inclusions of botanical and zoological objects, particularly arthropods.
The new bug species was found trapped in a 45-million-year-old honey-colored, transparent piece of Baltic amber.
It belongs to Aradus, a genus of true bugs in the family Aradidae.
Extant species of Aradus commonly live on and under the bark of dead trees, which could be an explanation why so many species are well preserved in amber deposits.
Until now 14 species of the genus were described from Baltic amber.
The new species has been named Aradus macrosomus. The specific name comes from the Greek words ‘macros’ (large) and ‘soma’ (body), referring to unusual large size of the bug.
The description of Aradus macrosomus appears in the open-access journal Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift.
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Ernst Heiss. 2014. Revision of the flat bug family Aradidae from Baltic Amber IX. Aradus macrosomus sp. n. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 61 (1): 27-29; doi: 10.3897/dez.61.7155
