Discovery of an Ancient Cicada Fossil

A remarkably preserved cicada fossil has been found, revealing intricate details, including the veins of its wings. This fossil is thought to belong to a type of cicada that, unlike today’s females which don’t sing, is believed to have traits associated with the singing variety.

Researchers have successfully linked this fossil to a contemporary group of cicadas known as Platypleurini, mainly found in Africa and Asia. As noted by various reports, scientists remarked on the fossil’s condition, which allows for a deeper understanding of its habits—whether it primarily fed on plant tissue, similar to modern cicadas.

Interestingly, the fossil displays traces of color and patterns, suggesting that these ancient cicadas may have concealed themselves from predators by blending into the bark of trees.

“Previous studies indicated that these cicadas existed around 25 to 30 million years ago in Africa and spread from there,” stated Dr. Hui Zian, a paleontologist at the University of Bonn in Germany.

Dr. Conrad Labandeira, a fossil expert from the Smithsonian, mentioned that these findings imply that the evolution of cicadas occurred more gradually than earlier DNA studies suggested. He emphasized the likelihood that older fossils exist but remain undiscovered.

“Findings like this can improve how we calibrate evolutionary rates,” he added.

Scientists observe that these fossils differ from modern cicadas in terms of certain features. Jiang commented on how this discovery extends the known fossil record for cicadas that produce sounds in the Platypleurini group by roughly 20 million years, indicating that the diversification of this group might have happened much sooner than previously thought.