Latest news with #PaleontologicalResearch
NHK
23-05-2025
- Science
- NHK
Fossil of extinct butterfly found in Japan identified as that of new species
A fossil of a butterfly now believed extinct that was discovered in western Japan 37 years ago has been identified as that of a new species of the insect. With an estimated wing span of 84 millimeters, it is also believed to be the largest butterfly fossil in the world, drawing attention as a valuable record for tracing the evolution of butterflies. The finding by a team of Japanese researchers was published in the journal Paleontological Research earlier this month. The specimen was found in 1988 in Shinonsen Town in Hyogo Prefecture from a 2.5 million-year-old stratum and has since been kept at a local museum. The team, led by Aiba Hiroaki, a teacher at Keio Yokohama Elementary School near Tokyo, examined the fossil with a high-performance microscope. The researchers determined it was that of a new variety of butterfly based on wing and abdomen characteristics. The researchers said butterfly fossils are extremely rare because the insect's bodies and wings are fragile and buoyant, making them less likely to be preserved as fossils compared with plants and shells. The species, no longer found in Japan, is believed to have gone extinct. The researchers said it belongs to the Tacola genus. A related species in the group is known to exist in subtropical and tropical zones in Southeast Asia. Aiba said that while fossils serve as proof in considering the evolution of creatures, butterfly fossils are extremely rare and limited worldwide. He added that the discovery of the world's largest butterfly fossil is scientifically highly valuable.
Miami Herald
02-05-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Extremely rare' unidentified fossil sitting in museum is a new extinct species
For decades, an 'extremely rare' fossil sat unidentified in Japan's Museum of Unique Insect Fossils. Discovered in 1988 in Hyogo Prefecture, the imprint of a large butterfly wing and body is now confirmed to belong to an extinct species that's new to science, according to a May 2 study published in the journal Paleontological Research. Tacola kamitanii, named for fossil finder Kiyoshi Kamitani, is unique for its 'remarkably large' wingspan, estimated to be nearly 3.5 inches, according to the study. This is the first butterfly fossil from Early Pleistocene epoch, researchers said, meaning Tacola kamitanii likely lived between 2.6 million and 1.8 million years ago. It is the youngest, or most recent, example of an extinct butterfly, researchers said. The extinct species was a member of the Limenitidini subfamily of butterflies. Living examples from this subfamily include viceroys and admirals. This is the first named fossil from the Limenitidini subfamily, researchers said. 'Butterfly fossils are extremely rare,' researchers said in the study. 'Butterfly bodies and wings are fragile and buoyant, making them less likely to be preserved as fossils than other insect groups.' The fossil is considered to be from a female butterfly based on its large body size and 'very thick' abdomen, according to the study. Tacola kamitanii may have lived in warm to mild zones as the Japanese islands shifted from a warm to a cold climate a global temperatures shifted from the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene, researchers said. Researchers said the discovery of the fossil in Japan extends the distribution of the Tacola group of butterflies and 'suggests that during the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene' the genus was widely distributed in Southeast Asia and East Asia.' The fossil was discovered in the town of Shin'onsen in northeastern Hyogo Prefecture, according to the study. Shin'onsen is about a 115-mile drive northeast from Osaka. The research team included Hiroaki Aiba, Yui Takahashi and Kotaro Saito.
