A 30-million-year-old wasp and an unknown flower were discovered

Both of them got stuck in the amber piece.

It’s an amazing discovery reported by the Journal of Historical Biology: a flowering plant of an unknown species trapped in amber, next to a parasitic wasp that’s part of a new species.

Discovered in the Dominican Republic, this incredible amber – a fossilized resin secreted by conifers millions of years ago – hides a relatively small female flower inside, with a long stem.

Scientists have been able to establish that this plant actually belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, which includes 300 different species, of which no fossils have been listed. The flower, named Bluekensia minima, is estimated to be 30 million years old.

Flower, wasp and larva

The discovery could have stopped there, it would have been extraordinary already. But scientists had more to put in their mouths with this piece of amber. Next to this unknown flower were a wasp and developing fly larvae, Science Alert reported. 1 out of 3.

Read more

A new species of mammal was discovered and named after “Lord of the Rings”.

A funny parasitic wasp, named Hambletonia dominicana, was already studied in 2020. It belongs to the Encyrtidae family and is particularly aggressive towards strong and full-sized insects.

Better than two insects and a single flower, amber actually reveals a true ecological microcosm. Modern members of the fossil plant are actually pollinated today by tiny wasps, which…

Read more at Slate.fr.

Video – A wasp brings a giant spider back to its nest