A scientist has discovered a previously unknown insect - after buying it on eBay.
Dr Richard Harrington thought he was buying just an interesting curio when he paid £20 for the fossilized insect encased in amber.But it turned out to be a long extinct type of aphid which became trapped in the resin as it seeped from a three millions of years ago.
It has now been named after Dr Harrington, vice-president of the UK's Royal Entomological Society, who specializes in aphids.He bought the fossil on the internet auction site from a man in Lithuania.Because he couldn't identify it himself Dr Harrington, who works at the world-famous Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, sent it to fossil aphid expert Professor Ole Heie in Denmark. He confirmed that it was from a previously undescribed species.
"I was interested to see what it was because I've worked with a team of people involved in monitoring and forecasting aphids, those of greenfly and their relatives in this country," Dr Harrington said."I looked at it with my team and we thought we could identify it down to the level of genus, but we had no idea what the species was."
sourcy
Dr Richard Harrington thought he was buying just an interesting curio when he paid £20 for the fossilized insect encased in amber.But it turned out to be a long extinct type of aphid which became trapped in the resin as it seeped from a three millions of years ago.
It has now been named after Dr Harrington, vice-president of the UK's Royal Entomological Society, who specializes in aphids.He bought the fossil on the internet auction site from a man in Lithuania.Because he couldn't identify it himself Dr Harrington, who works at the world-famous Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, sent it to fossil aphid expert Professor Ole Heie in Denmark. He confirmed that it was from a previously undescribed species.
"I was interested to see what it was because I've worked with a team of people involved in monitoring and forecasting aphids, those of greenfly and their relatives in this country," Dr Harrington said."I looked at it with my team and we thought we could identify it down to the level of genus, but we had no idea what the species was."
sourcy
