Ancient, scary and alien-looking specimen forms a rarity in the insect world -- a new order

Science Daily ^ | January 25, 2017 | Oregon State University

[JimSEA]

Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered a 100-million-year-old insect preserved in amber with a triangular head, almost-alien and "E.T.-like" appearance and features so unusual that it has been placed in its own scientific "order" -- an incredibly rare event.

There are about 1 million described species of insects, and millions more still to be discovered, but every species of insect on Earth has been placed in only 31 existing orders. Now there's one more.

The findings have been published in the journal Cretaceous Research and describe this small, wingless female insect that probably lived in fissures in the bark of trees, looking for mites, worms or fungi to feed on while dinosaurs lumbered nearby. It was tiny, but scary looking.

"This insect has a number of features that just don't match those of any other insect species that I know," said George Poinar, Jr., an emeritus professor of entomology in the OSU College of Science and one of the world's leading experts on plant and animal life forms found preserved in the semi-precious stone amber.

"I had never really seen anything like it. It appears to be unique in the insect world, and after considerable discussion we decided it had to take its place in a new order."

Perhaps most unusual, Poinar said, was a triangular head with bulging eyes, with the vertex of the right triangle located at the base of the neck. This is different from any other known insect, and would have given this species the ability to see almost 180 degrees by turning its head sideways.

[JimSEA]

This strange insect found preserved in amber represents a new species, genus, family and order of insects.

At first glance, it's an ant, second glance "not at all". ET maybe, ""The strangest thing about this insect is that the head looked so much like the way aliens are often portrayed," Poinar said. "With its long neck, big eyes and strange oblong head, I thought it resembled E.T. I even made a Halloween mask that resembled the head of this insect. But when I wore the mask when trick-or-treaters came by, it scared the little kids so much I took it off." Dr George Poinar

[ConservativeMind]

Early Earwig

[jacknhoo]

Exactly...hardly very strange at all.

[Vendome]

Scary? Pretty sure my 200 boot on its head would be scary.

[caver]

BS, more fake news.
I absolutely despise anyone who calls themselves a scientist.

[ClearCase_guy]

I, for one, welcome our new overlords.

[Salamander]

Beat me to it.

[snooter55]

New ?? Hell, I dated her in the mid ‘80’s .

[Proyecto Anonimo]

Probably two days old and still alive if you remove him from the sap.

Regardless, let’s fund this project.

Let the bidding start.

Do we have $1 million?

[twyn1]

Yeah, early earwig or praying mantis type

[JimSEA]

Yeah, your cures for disease, physics, chemistry, biology, metallurgy are, after all far more brilliant and have benefited humanity without messing with sticky and difficult facts. Jerk!!!

[piytar]

I despise anyone who calls themself a scientist who does not do real science. But look around you - everything man made you see and use is a result of real science plus associated engineering.

Despising real science and real scientists is simply stupid and ignorant.

If you disagree, please sell your car, leave your home, get off the Internet, and to live in a cave somewhere.

/someone who does real science

[Carthego delenda est]

[Reily]

Shouldn’t you stop using the internet & computer and go back to tin cans and a string? Since some smelly old scientist at Bell Labs started all this computer IC non-sense. I wouldn’t want you to be an hypocrite!

[piytar]

Go live*

[Carthego delenda est]

[21twelve]

I STILL thing praying mantis’ are “alien like”! They are so cool.

Interesting that this critter, with its ability to see 180 degrees wasn’t among the “survival of the fittest” crowd. I’ve always wondered why some animals didn’t have actual eyes in the backs of their heads.

Other than my mom of course!

[bakeneko]

Meh.

You want weird and alien, read about Mr. Tardigrade.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

[bgill]

It’s an ant.

[BlueDragon]