Dr. Hiroyuki Yoshitomi lady beetle (Yassibum yoshitomii) from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber

NEWS - Coccinelloid beetles have a rare fossil record from the Mesozoic, but researchers describe and illustrate an unusual fossil, Yassibum yoshitomii, from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. The new genus and species stand out within the Coccinelloidea because of the notched prophemorea and the presence of antennal grooves on the elytral epipleura.

Yassibum is characterized by an oval body, 10-segmented antennae, with a 3-segmented club. Labrum with a strongly emarginate apex. Pronotal disc with a narrow and deep basolateral sulcus. Procoxa prominent.

Elytral epipleura broad at base, basally with antennal grooves extending posterolaterally. Mesocoxa cavity broadly closed laterally. Mesoventrite and metaventrite without opening near anterior margin. Metanepisterna hidden. Profemora with prominent incisions on outer side. Tarsi simple, 4-4-4.

The species name is gender-neutral. The species is named after coleopterist Dr. Hiroyuki Yoshitomi. The main characteristics are an oval body, slightly convex dorsal side, about 1.3 mm long, 0.9 mm wide and a slightly silty surface.

Original research

Li Y, Tomaszewska W, Arriaga-Varela E, Huang D, Cai C. 2024. An unusual Cretaceous beetle with affinity to Anamorphidae (Coleoptera: Coccinelloidea). PeerJ 12:e18008, DOI:10.7717/peerj.18008

Dlium theDlium

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Alexandrian Laurel (Calophyllum inophyllum)

Alexandrian Laurel ( Calophyllum inophyllum ) is a species of plant in the Calophyllaceae family. It is a low-branching, slow-growing, spreading tree with a wide, irregular crown. It grows up to 30 meters tall, has a cylindrical trunk, and thick, black, and fissured bark. The leaves are thick, oval, with rounded tips, even margins, and a smooth surface. The upper side is dark green and glossy, the underside is bright green, with a central vein in bright green. The leaves are up to 27 cm long, 13 cm wide, and have a 1 cm petiole. Flowers bloom throughout the year, but typically from April to June and October to December. Flowers are 30 mm in diameter and occur in racemose or paniculate inflorescences of four to 15 flowers. The flowers have a sweet aroma and attract numerous pollinating insects. The fruit is round, green, up to 4 cm in diameter, with a large seed in the center. When ripe, the fruit wrinkles and turns yellow to brownish. The fruit is light, with thin, spongy flesh and a...

Thomas Sutikna lives with Homo floresiensis

BLOG - On October 28, 2004, a paper was published in Nature describing the dwarf hominin we know today as Homo floresiensis that has shocked the world. The report changed the geographical landscape of early humans that previously stated that the Pleistocene Asia was only represented by two species, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens . The report titled "A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia" written by Peter Brown and Mike J. Morwood from the University of New England with Thomas Sutikna, Raden Pandji Soejono, Jatmiko, E. Wahyu Saptomo and Rokus Awe Due from the National Archaeology Research Institute (ARKENAS), Indonesia, presents more diversity in the genus Homo. “Immediately, my fever vanished. I couldn’t sleep well that night. I couldn’t wait for sunrise. In the early morning we went to the site, and when we arrived in the cave, I didn’t say a thing because both my mind and heart couldn’t handle this incredible moment. I just went down...

Dlium