A beetle and pollen particles were found in frozen amber, which show that it landed on inflorescences
The beetle itself was from the flower beetle family (Kateretidae). Modern representatives of this family live in Australia and feed on pollen, corollas and ovaries of flowers.
Their prehistoric ancestor, judging by the conclusions of scientists,ate and collected the pollen of the first flowering plants. As scientists assume, these insects climbed into inflorescences and collected pollen using the hairs on the beetle's abdomen.
While scientists can not say which onesplants were pollinated by this beetle. Based on the shape of the pollen grains, paleontologists suggest that these were ancient dicotyledonous flower plants from the genus Tricolpopollenites.
From the new work it follows that the firstPollinators appeared almost simultaneously with flowering plants. Due to their rapid evolution, there was a rapid spread of flowering plants.
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