scientists, 99 million years ago and found an almost perfectly preserved firefly fossil in amber. This fossil has the potential to provide scientists with important information about the evolution of insect bioluminescence capabilities.

Paleontologist of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Chenyang Cai and discovered in amber discovered by his team in Myanmar’s Kachin State. Flammarionella hehakuni This new species, called Fireflies, shows that fireflies already had a luminous abdominal structure at that time, which is also the source of their name. This insect is not the first firefly specimen from the Mesosian period, but it is the first of its kind.

Why fireflies glow is a matter of debate

According to many scientists, fireflies bioluminescence characteristics It has two main functions. These functions include calling other fireflies to mate and signaling to the predators around them that they are poisonous. On the other hand, some researchers argue that bioluminescent features evolved before these toxins and question whether the glowing feature had an advantage in the early period.

The insect’s antennae have that too densely hairy structures and oval-shaped pits. This structure, found in fireflies, is thought to be related to olfactory function. The fact that the researchers found a male and a female firefly in the sample may provide more information about the structure’s evolution.

It has been explained that the insect’s features can be examined in detail thanks to the extraordinary transparency of amber, and it is expected to play an important role in explaining the evolution of these creatures. Research Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological SciencesIt was published in .