200 million year old dragonfly fossil discovered, identical to modern species

According to Sci-News, the Liassophlebiidae family is part of the insect superorder Odonatoptera, one of the oldest winged insect lineages on Earth, possibly dating back to the Carboniferous period.

They evolved dramatically during the Triassic and, more specifically, survived the Triassic-Jurassic extinction some 200 million years ago, one of the major extinction events of the Phanerozoic eon, which wiped out at least half of the planet's species.

The specimen's age also approximates the date of the mass extinction event and is the oldest specimen of the family Liassophlebiidae yet found, suggesting a deep origin for this lineage before its rise to diversity in the Jurassic.

Dragonfly wing fossils have just been unearthed in England. (Photo: HISTORICAL BIOLOGY)

According to paleontologist Emily Swapy of the Open University (UK), the new specimen includes an incomplete forewing measuring 4.2 cm long and 1 cm wide.

The fossil slab was collected from the Bowdens Quarry in Somerset, part of the lower White Lias Formation, which has yielded many valuable specimens.

This wing section is preserved in amazing detail, which is rare for such an old specimen.

With a specific age of 202 million years, this ancient dragonfly was born at the end of the Triassic period, meaning that it and its lineage represent a group that directly faced the mass extinction, survived and then thrived, filling ecological niches as soon as the environment became more favorable.

More surprisingly, the image recreated by scientists shows that this dragonfly, over 200 million years old, has the exact same "appearance" as a modern dragonfly.

"Portrait" of a dragonfly from the Triassic period. (Photo: HISTORICAL BIOLOGY)

This discovery is an important piece to fill in the "family tree" of dragonflies, as well as contributing to the big picture of how insects have thrived on the planet and become the most numerous group of creatures today.

(Source: Lao Dong Newspaper)

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