"Dancing" Damselfly from the Cretaceous

[ZoPteryx]

Not as exciting as a total revision of a major clade, but still kind of cool.

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep44932



Now the big question:  Which toy company will make one first? 

[MLMjp]

Beautiful ambar indeed, the preservation is fenomenal.

Now the big question:  Which toy company will make one first? 

None, because almost nobody cares about prehistoric bugs.

[Flaffy]

Somehow out of most other companies, Rebor was the one that made a prehistoric bug.

[stargatedalek]

Not sure why but I think I may actually find this more exciting!

[Loon]

Not too terribly familiar with insects, so are there any others with that kind of leg?

[Lanthanotus]

I know of no recent damselfly or dragonfly with such legs (would probably be a hinderance in cathing prey in flight), but it is a feature seen in some coleoptera, heteroptera, orthoptera (bettles, bugs and grasshoppers) and proabaly more.

[Halichoeres]

Wow, that's cool. There's this:


But it doesn't look like the tibiae are expanded to nearly the same extent. I wonder if they had very short adult lives and didn't feed much.

[Lanthanotus]

Ah, thanks for posting that Halichoeres, didn't know of such a species.

That recent one at least seems quite capable of catching prey, at least it boasts the same hair like structures to form the necessary quiver.  And thinking of it, there's a lot of flying insect species with just the weirdest body shapes, head crests or other "un"aerodynamical features,... sure, most do not feed the same way as damselflies, but thinking even further, pterosaurs with their remarkable weird heads didn't seem to be hindered as well. Nature's such a nerdy engineer.

[Cloud the Dinosaur King]

I know of no recent damselfly or dragonfly with such legs (would probably be a hinderance in cathing prey in flight), but it is a feature seen in some coleoptera, heteroptera, orthoptera (bettles, bugs and grasshoppers) and proabaly more.

The Boxer Mantis is like this.

[Lanthanotus]

But mantis hunt differently than damselflies. My initial thought was that such legs, especially when spread as is required for hunting in flight, might be an aerodynamical hinderance. However, see my above reply,... nature get's so many weirdos to flight

[Cloud the Dinosaur King]

But mantis hunt differently than damselflies. My initial thought was that such legs, especially when spread as is required for hunting in flight, might be an aerodynamical hinderance. However, see my above reply,... nature get's so many weirdos to flight

Mantids can fly as well, especially the males.

[Faelrin]

I don't know much about insects and such, but wow its pretty. Yet another awesome amber find. Am I the only one that thinks its eyes look like googly eyes in the art though?

Also about mantids flying, can confirm. Tried to help one off my mother's vehicle years ago only for it to launch into the sky, and become a flying terror, which I was unprepared for.

[Lanthanotus]

I am aware they can fly, however, they do not hunt during fly which was the initial point and they are very awkward fliers, at least in comparison to damsel- and dragonflies which can intentionally turn suddenly, stand still in midflight and - at least some, not sure if all - fly backwards. Mantis and the likes as phasmidae (which often show a similar and highly adapted body form) are just capable of flying for the sake of transporting themselves towards mates, new territories or away from predators, but are by no way as artistic as their helicopter like relatives.

On the "back to topic" question.... I'd guess Safari or CollectA makes one first, within a tube of prehistoric invertebrates

[Halichoeres]

On the "back to topic" question.... I'd guess Safari or CollectA makes one first, within a tube of prehistoric invertebrates

That would be almost as cool as a fishes tube!

[PaleoMatt]

If Safari made an invertebrate toob it would probably be full of Carboniferous swamp dwellers I'm guessing which I guess would be interesting for scale purposes!

[Cloud the Dinosaur King]

If Safari made an invertebrate toob it would probably be full of Carboniferous swamp dwellers I'm guessing which I guess would be interesting for scale purposes!

They would probably add in some Trilobites and some Sea Scorpions. A Sea Scorpion like Pterygotus would look cool.

[PaleoMatt]

If Safari made an invertebrate toob it would probably be full of Carboniferous swamp dwellers I'm guessing which I guess would be interesting for scale purposes!

They would probably add in some Trilobites and some Sea Scorpions. A Sea Scorpion like Pterygotus would look cool.

Yea that's a great idea.

[Papi-Anon]

They would probably add in some Trilobites and some Sea Scorpions. A Sea Scorpion like Pterygotus would look cool.

Well, the Cambrian Toob did have a Trilobite and an Anomalocaris if I recall. And the fossil Toob had a replica sea scorpion casting.

[ZoPteryx]

I do wonder if these appendages could have been more for camouflage than display.  The wings seem rather sort, maybe this was a leaf-litter or twig dwelling damselfly that captured terrestrial prey such as aphids.

On the "back to topic" question.... I'd guess Safari or CollectA makes one first, within a tube of prehistoric invertebrates

I'd put my money on Kaiyodo or a similar brand, personally.  Heck, maybe it could be a PNSO mini! 

[Tyto_Theropod]

Intriguing, and what a little beauty!