Electrotettix
| Electrotettix attenboroughi Temporal range: Burdigalian
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| E. attenboroughi encased in amber | |
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| Genus: | Electrotettix Heads & Thomas, 2014
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| Species: | E. attenboroughi
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| Electrotettix attenboroughi Heads & Thomas, 2014[1]
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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]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Heads, Sam W.; Thomas, M. Jared; Wang, Yinan (30 July 2014). "A remarkable new pygmy grasshopper (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae) in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic". ZooKeys (429). Pensoft: 87–100. doi:10.3897/zookeys.429.8020. PMC 4137300. PMID 25147472. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "New Pygmy Locust Discovered in Ancient Amber, Named after David Attenborough". Entomology Today. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ Sarah Knapton (30 July 2014). "20-million-year-old grasshopper named after David Attenborough". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 August 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ Rachel Feltman (30 July 2014). "New cricket discovered in long-neglected amber collection". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 July 2014.