Researchers have described a new species of assassin bug based on a well-preserved fossil dating back to
The fossil dealer sold both pieces.fossils to different buyers. But when researchers combined the fossilized halves and analyzed them together, a look at the genitals allowed scientists to identify the insect as a newly discovered species of predatory bugs, also called assassin bugs.
In Papers in magazinePalaeontology reports that the researchers named the bugs Aphelicophontes danjuddi. The name honors fossil collector Dan Judd, "due to his donation to the Illinois Natural History Survey's paleontology collection," paleontologists said. The insect genus comes from the Latin word "aphelicus," meaning "old," and "phontes," which is Latin for "killer" or "killer," the researchers said.
The insect, whose length was 12.4 mm,there was an elongated and thin body. The pygofor, located in the lower abdomen, does not exceed 3.1 mm in length. Unique characteristics of male genitalia are rapidly evolving, so they are often used to distinguish between closely related species of killer insects, scientists said.
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