investigator have uncovered a unique 50 - million - year - old specimen of an extinct katydid species with its sinew , digestive parcel of land , secreter , and even one testicle still intact . mark a likely first - of - its - kind find , the elaborate fossil has provide vital raw information into the evolutionary history of katydids .
belong to the genusArethaea , also known as thread - legged katydids in mention to their smoke - similar limbs , the out species has been namedArethaea solteraeafter the lead author ’s workfellow and retired insect diagnostician Leellen Solter .
“ katydid are very rarefied in the fossil record book , so any new katydid fossil you find represent a raw data head in the evolutionary story of katydid , ” Sam Heads , study lead and director of the Prairie Research Institute ’s Center for Paleontology , said in astatement . “ Now we know that about 50 million years ago , this genus had already evolved and already had a morphology that mime the supergrass in which it lives and hides from marauder . ”
While Heads describes finding intestine traces in specimens from this area as “ not so unusual ” , after further microscopical investigation , the team uncovered evidence of thoracic muscle fibers associate with the wing or flank muscle , tissue paper known as a “ juicy eubstance ” , and even the inclusion body of one ball .
“ Part of the digestive pamphlet is preserve , a part of the midgut we call the gizzard , ” Heads say . “ There are these little tubule that all seem to connect to a round structure – and that can only be a nut and accessory glands that are associated with the orchis . ”
Heads dissect these finding in comparing to several break down katydid specimens and establish an almost identical anatomic body structure , stating “ the testicle , the accessory glands and the gizzard were all the same in the present - mean solar day katydids . I was just blown off by it . ”
The region the fossil was retrieve from is well - bonk for its abundance of perfectly conserve fossil . lead into the three state , the Green River Formation is a notable fossil bed that contains detailed records of the area ’s plant and zoology . But despite the area ’s repute , researchers were still shocked by the discovery .
“ I was not expecting to see that kind of structure preserved in a rock compressing . I ’ve never seen that before , ” said Heads . “ To my knowledge , this is the first example of this degree of saving . ”
The subject area is published inPalaeoentomology .
