Paleontologists have discovered tiny, extremely rare fossils that shed light on New Zealand’s past. They belong to whiteflies, a type of insect that has been around for millions of years.
University of Otago researchers found these rare fossils in the sediments of a Miocene-era crater lake at Hindon Maara, near Dunedin, New Zealand.
“The discovery of these small fossils tells us that this group of insects has been living in New Zealand for at least 15 million years,” said Daphne Lee, co-author of the study, reports Noi.md with reference to .
Whitefly fossils measure approximately 1.5 mm by 1.25 mm. They are black and oval in shape.
“Fossilized remains of adult whitefly insects are not rare, but it takes extraordinary circumstances for the pouparium – the protective covering from which the insect emerges – to fossilize.
Most likely, about 15 million years ago, a pouparium would have detached itself from a tree, been carried by the wind into a small deep lake, and sunk to the bottom of the lake to be covered by sediments and fossilized. This would have happened in rapid succession, because the fossils of small insects are perfectly preserved”, said the co-author of the study, Uwe Kaulfus.
It is noted that, despite their size, fossils provide valuable information about the evolution and diversity of insect life.
