24-Legged Fossil Insect Ancestor Found in Texas
A recent study published in Nature on August 26 details a fossil found in Texas, identified as a transitional species between crustaceans and insects, named Chosha praecursor. This organism existed approximately 324 million years ago and possessed 24 legs along with insect-like characteristics. Initially misidentified as a juvenile crustacean, it was correctly classified by paleoentomologist Erik Tihelka from the University of Cambridge, who analyzed the specimen at the San Diego Natural History Museum using cross-polarized light imaging. The name Chosha praecursor combines the Navajo term ch'osh (meaning insect) and the Latin word praecursor (meaning predecessor). The findings imply that insects may have experienced a semi-aquatic stage before adapting to terrestrial environments. Dany Azar conducted the peer review for the paper.
Key facts
- Fossil discovered in Texas, described in Nature on August 26.
- Named Chosha praecursor, lived 324 million years ago.
- Had 24 legs: three pairs of walking legs and nine pairs on abdomen.
- Insect-like features: antennae, tail, egg-laying tube, 11-section abdomen, three-segment thorax.
- Originally misidentified as juvenile crustacean Tesnusocaris goldichi.
- Identified by Erik Tihelka from University of Cambridge.
- Specimen housed at San Diego Natural History Museum.
- Study also revisited Leverhulmia mariae (Scotland, 405 million years ago) and two unnamed fossils from Illinois (306 million years ago).
- Loss of abdominal appendages was key for land adaptation.
- Dany Azar peer-reviewed the paper.
Entities
Institutions
- University of Cambridge
- San Diego Natural History Museum
- Lebanese University
- Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology
- Nature
Locations
- Texas
- United States
- Scotland
- Illinois
- China