An international team of researchers described A New species of fossil wasps in amber from El Suplo Cavelocated in Cantabria, a few years ago 105 million Years. This discovery, published in the scientific journal Palaeoentomology, provides basic information about the diversity of insects during the Cretaceous period and reinforces the importance of the Cantabria region as a global reference for the study of fossil amber.
The new type is called “Critifania orgonomicorum”comes from a Fragment of amber dating back to the middle millennium (about 105 million years ago) It is distinguished by its large size and unique anatomical features, such as the structure of the antennae and the veining of the wings, says the Cantabrian government in a statement. According to the authors, it is One of the largest known specimens within this genussimilar to species found in Myanmar and China.
The study also includes a revision of the genre classificationCretifaniaIt provides new diagnostic characters that will help identify species in future research. “This group could serve as a ‘guide fossil’ for… Dating by chalk sedimentsScientists pointed out its wide spread and diversity.
Enrique Peñalver, a researcher at the Spanish Geological and Mining Institute (IGME-CSIC) and co-author of the study, emphasized that this discovery expands knowledge about the evolution of decomposer wasps and Confirms the “exceptional fossil richness of Spanish amber”. The Cantabrian Executive website highlights that El Soblao is one of the most important amber deposits in the world, with more than 1,500 documented fossils and 30 described species to date.
This research has been carried out in collaboration with institutions such as IGME-CSIC, the University of Barcelona, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Natural History Museum of the University of Oxford, and the University of Valencia. Funded by projects from the Government of Cantabria and the Ministry of Science and Innovation The Generalitats of Valenciana.