Electrotettix attenboroughi Temporal range: Burdigalian
| |
---|---|
E. attenboroughi encased in amber | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Suborder: | |
Superfamily: | |
Family: | |
Subfamily: | |
Genus: | Electrotettix Heads & Thomas, 2014
|
Species: | E. attenboroughi
|
Binomial name | |
Electrotettix attenboroughi Heads & Thomas, 2014
[1]
|
Electrotettix is an extinct genus of pygmy locust found in amber collected in the Dominican Republic. Represented by a single species, Electrotettix attenboroughi, which lived 18-20 million years ago, it fed primarily on moss, fungi, and algae. [2] The genus name is derived from electrum, Latin for "amber", and Greek tettix, meaning "grasshopper". [2] The species was named after Sir David Attenborough. [3] The female measures 8 millimeters in length: the male is unknown. The species is distinguished from modern members of the Cladonotinae subfamily by the fact that it retains vestigial wings, a feature lost somewhere between the ancient specimens and more modern species. [1] [2] E. attenboroughi was identified from a collection of amber at the Illinois Natural History Survey, which had been stored in a cabinet under a sink since it was collected in the 1950s by entomologist Milton Sanderson. [4]
Electrotettix attenboroughi Temporal range: Burdigalian
| |
---|---|
E. attenboroughi encased in amber | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Suborder: | |
Superfamily: | |
Family: | |
Subfamily: | |
Genus: | Electrotettix Heads & Thomas, 2014
|
Species: | E. attenboroughi
|
Binomial name | |
Electrotettix attenboroughi Heads & Thomas, 2014
[1]
|
Electrotettix is an extinct genus of pygmy locust found in amber collected in the Dominican Republic. Represented by a single species, Electrotettix attenboroughi, which lived 18-20 million years ago, it fed primarily on moss, fungi, and algae. [2] The genus name is derived from electrum, Latin for "amber", and Greek tettix, meaning "grasshopper". [2] The species was named after Sir David Attenborough. [3] The female measures 8 millimeters in length: the male is unknown. The species is distinguished from modern members of the Cladonotinae subfamily by the fact that it retains vestigial wings, a feature lost somewhere between the ancient specimens and more modern species. [1] [2] E. attenboroughi was identified from a collection of amber at the Illinois Natural History Survey, which had been stored in a cabinet under a sink since it was collected in the 1950s by entomologist Milton Sanderson. [4]