Ecological diversity in amber in the Amazon region

The group of researchers led by Pierre-Olivier Antoine of Toulouse University (France) has discovered new invertebrate species preserved in amber from 12 to 15 million years near the Iquitos region in Peru, demonstrating Ecological diversity has been around for a long time in the Amazon region.

Two species of two-winged insects and a beetle worm
trapped in amber for at least 12 million years
(Photo: HTV)

The researchers identified 13 new insect groups and three new spider species trapped in amber along with pollen, algae or spores in very large numbers.

When the plastic layer becomes as hard as glass, it allows the preservation of insects that do not leave or leave very little traces of fossil bones in vertebrates.

Two other amber mines have been discovered in South America but this is the first time this mine has been found in the Amazon region. Iquitos region in northeastern Peru, near Brazil and Colombia. French researchers accidentally discovered this layer of amber on the banks of the Amazon River.

The total gate of 500g amber is taken from this area and is being analyzed. The discovery of many different species of organisms in a small amber sample demonstrates the abundance of biodiversity in this area during the Miocene period (from 5 million to 23.7 million years ago).

According to the researchers, the Amazon region may have been a tropical forest containing many ecosystems. The study was published in PNAS magazine.

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