#insect fossils

Naturkundemuseum Potsdam (Natural History Museum of Potsdam) - Insect Display and Fossil Exhibits

Today's insect showcase is a rather special one. These picture come together of a dear, top-tier friend of mine during her travels to Germany, and I am very grateful to receive them, and her stories from her travels. Of course, as these pictures aren't mine and the imagery photographed here belongs to an educational institution, they are marked with the Mantis Icon. Specifically, these fossils and insect displays were taken at the Natural History Museum of Potsdam, or as it is known in German parlance, Naturkundemuseum Potsdam. Based on what I was told, the image highlights here are just a small fraction of the insect specimens on display, which is to say nothing of the rest of the museum. There is also a multitude of preserved specimens in jars, alongside expertly done animal taxidermy (pinning insects meanwhile is much more simple) and stunning dinosaur fossils. The images I've seen make these insects seem rather miniscule, but in fact, it just goes to show how long insects have been around for and how well adapted they were to their environments, even hundreds of millions of years ago. While their size may have gotten smaller over time as a result of atmospheric and environmental changes (including oxygen levels), the insects' overall forms remain unchanged relative to their modern day equivalents.

On display here we find a collection of insect fossils similar to that of Toronto's ROM insect fossils (a few of which can be seen in these posts), only presented with more distinction. Specifically, all specimens on display here are clearly labelled down the specie of the (now extinct) fossilized insect. In terms of highlights, we appear to have fossilized Dragonflies (with pristine wing venation in the stone) in the form of Mesuropetala koehleri, Stenophelbia amphitrite, and Uroghompus eximius; fossilized Pond Skaters/Water Striders in the form of Cresmoda obscura; a fossilized Hymenopteran (seen in Picture 2) and a fossilized Roach in the form of Lithoblatta lithophila. Apparently the lattermost fossil is mistaken by some to be a Beetle fossil. However, the true identity of the said comes apparent when taking notice of the shape of the wings and the extended antennae whose impressions are visible within the fossil. For an actual view at Beetles, Picture 4 is all you need. Upon seeing it, my eyes go right to the Goliath Beetle (Goliathus sp., among the largest Scarab Beetles) and then wander leftward to the rows of metallic Beetles and their smaller Bug (distant) relatives. The display is magnificent, and just as comprehensive as the ROM's displays, albeit with a touch more style as a result of mingling insect orders together, rather than keep them separated. And to think, this is just a brief glimpse into the offerings of this museum.

Zophobas Darkling Beetle (Superworm) - Zophobas atratus + insect fossils

The darkness loving Beetles return for showcase, this time with lighting conditions that give us a clear look at several individuals. Since the last time I saw them, their habitat has undergone some renovations, but these armored vegetarians look nearly the same, although these are likely new individuals compared to the ones of 2019. They’re all well established into adulthood as when Z. atratus emerges from pupation, it appears to sport a light color that turns to brick-red and then gradually darkens to black over time. Either way, it’s great to see them again. These insects live in between a colony of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (to their right) and a scorpion, each terrarium offering insight into the world of arthropods. Despite the light shining upon them, these dark-loving Beetles were reasonably active: crawling around their environment and on each other. After the lights turn off in their home, we can only guess how much more they’ll get up to. While not as voracious as their “Superworm” larval form, that plate of vegetables may need a touch of refilling. 

Talking of food, these adult Darklings are very fortunate to be on display here because (as mentioned before) as larvae are quite nutritious and highly valued as feed for reptile and amphibian pets. In the wild, this would be the exact same case: many delicious individuals acting as detritivores and omnivores in their ecosystems which convert spent energy into new energy fit for growth or for consumption. It sounds like dirty work but such roles are highly valued in ecosystems, and while soft and vulnerable as larvae, the armor they acquire as adults makes navigating the wild much easier. Even then, they can still fly away to new location if they need to. It sounds like common knowledge, but there are a few species of Darkling Beetles that have fused wingcases, meaning flight is impossible. Never undervalue the freedom wings can grant, even if they are energetically costly in the insect world. Here, in the human world, these specimens can live with no danger of the Vietnamese mossy frog tank just a few feet away (whose denizens are fed Common House Crickets instead). Having seen a few videos observing these Beetles, it may offer more interactivity/perspective to dot the shells with color (safe on the shell and edibility) and journey out what each Beetle does over the course of a day. Perhaps we may find a favorite character among this group?

Royal Ontario Museum - Insect Exhibits 1

Well this is certainly different and there are a lot more insects than usual! Must be a special occasion, and it absolutely is! I’m dedicating this post to Ally, one of my dearest friends and a major inspiration for this blog. We’ve known each other for around 7 years now, having met in U of T’s 3rd year Insect Biology course. We’ve been on many a bug hunt together (and hopefully more in the future)! She loves insects even more than I do, so much so that she continues to study entomology at the University of Guelph, alongside the role the many insects play in the environment! I’m so proud of her! Hop onto Google Scholar to discover her work on the insect world or check out her blog to see her insight: Ecology for Life (@Ecology_forlife). In honoring her today, today’s showcase will briefly cover the ROM’s amazing insect collections* and how museums are useful for insect research and inspiring interest. Thank you for everything, dearest Bug Princess! May fortune continue to smile upon you!

While it may not specialize in insects, the ROM boasts some amazing collections of insects. There are quite a few tropical and exotic species to see including such notable finds like the Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas), the Peanut-Head Lanternfly (Fulgora laternaria), the many shimmering, iridescent Butterflies including the Blue Morpho (Morpho spp.) and Green Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus), giant Stick Insects, Cicadas, tropical Grasshoppers and many Beetles like the ornate and horned Scarabs, the giant Harlequin Beetles (Acrocinus longimanus) or even oddities like the Violin Beetle (Mormolyce phyllodes). While these are fantastical, there are also bug boxes that contain insect species that are more familiar to us, allowing patrons to compare the insects of our region with those on the other side of the world. They might even recognize a few from their neighborhood. That organized Butterfly box has certainly been a useful reference for the identification of a few species. Honestly, picture don’t do it justice; if you’re an insect enthusiast, see these collections in person and notice that there’s also 1 spider and 1 centipede mounted as well.

Alongside the showcase of modern day insects within the ecology and biodiversity sections of the ROM, they are showcased in one other area too. The fossil section of the ROM carries fossilized insects (or fossil preservations) both in stone and within resin (look for the those in the ancient mammal area). These fossils are placed alongside their modern counterparts to highlight the changes time has brought to the world of arthropods. It seems many of them have gotten a little bit smaller. While the morphology appears consistent, many small changes have taken place over the hundreds of millions of years insects have crawled and flown over the Earth. The age of the fossils can also help us better understand the evolutionary timeline of these little creatures. All this while behind the scenes there are dedicated personnel working hard to push science and our understanding of the natural world forward! And of course, if all this insight into the scope and grandeur of the insect world isn’t enough, there are live insects to observe and enjoy at the ROM too including a Honeybee nest, Darkling Beetles, Walking Sticks and Hissing Roaches. And this is just one museum; many other institutions bring their own amazing contributions to the collective knowledge of insects.

*Note: Since these insect collections belong to the ROM, I’ve marked them with the Mantis icon. The poster is mine though. When things are safe/back to normal, I’ll return to the ROM for a follow-up (and I did return with new insect showcases: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |). 

Can Insect Fossils Still Contain Ancient DNA?

The most primitive living insects are thought to be bristletails (see below), also called jumping bristletails, which are placed in the Order Archaeognatha (Class Insecta) (Grimaldi & Engel, 2012).  These primitive little wingless insects – not to be confused with silverfish (Zygentoma), which are also very old – have persisted since at least the mid-Devonian epoch (398–385 million years ago…