Dead bugs stuck in 99 million years of amber and pollen

The amber piece discovered in Myanmar shows beetles that help minnows pollinate from the dinosaurs.

Scientists discovered the beetle of the Boganiidae family of amber fragments about 99 million years with pollen grains of minnows in Myanmar, Phys reported on August 16. The beetle has some special points to adapt to pollination as an open space in the lower jaw to transport pollen.

Plants with flowers or seeds often rely on insects and other animals to pollinate. However, it is possible that the branch of gymnosperms is the first group of trees to do so.

Ancient beetle corpses were found in Myanmar.(Photo: Chenyang Cai).

Pollen grains are stuck in amber and beetles.(Photo: Chenyang Cai).

"Boganiidae beetles help pollinate minnows from the Middle-aged. Our findings indicate that the beetles transporting pollen to minnows appeared early in the Jurassic period, long before the angiosperms were captured. head dominate and pollinate species for them like bees developed in the Cretaceous period , " said Chenyang Cai, a researcher at Bristol University.

When he was shown by the Huang Diying at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences showed the bug in amber for the first time, Cai immediately became interested. He realized that its lower jaw structure could be suitable for pollen carrying.

After cutting and polishing the specimen to make it easier to observe under a microscope, Cai found the bug carrying some pollen. Cai asked Liqin Li, an expert in ancient pollen at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Li confirmed they belonged to minnows. The researchers also conducted a phylogenetic analysis and found that the beetle had a family of Paracucujus Australia, a pollinator for minnows Macrozamia riedlei.

The new study and the distribution of the Boganiidae are now making Cai think that there are still similar pollinators yet to be discovered. He has been searching for them for the past 5 years and encountered many difficulties.