Electrotettix

Electrotettix attenboroughi
Temporal range: 20–18 Ma
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Burdigalian

E. attenboroughi encased in amber
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Caelifera
Superfamily: Tetrigoidea
Family: Tetrigidae
Subfamily: Cladonotinae
Genus: Electrotettix
Species: E. attenboroughi
Binomial name
Electrotettix attenboroughi
Heads, Thomas, & Wang, 2014[1]

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]

References

  1. 1 2 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 (Pensoft) (429): 87–100. doi:10.3897/zookeys.429.8020. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "New Pygmy Locust Discovered in Ancient Amber, Named after David Attenborough". Entomology Today. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Sarah Knapton (30 July 2014). "20-million-year-old grasshopper named after David Attenborough". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  4. ↑ Rachel Feltman (30 July 2014). "New cricket discovered in long-neglected amber collection". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
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