A species that scientists thought had been extinct in North America since the 1950s has resurfaced on the front of a Walmart store in Arkansas, a discovery that has researchers baffled.
The specimen of the species dating from the Jurassic era named polystoechotes punctataor Ithonidae, was first found by Penn State University Insect Identification Laboratory Director Michael Skvarla, who picked it up in 2012 while going to buy milk.
“I thought he looked interesting,” he said in a statement from Penn State University. I went home, rode it and forgot about it for a decade.”
He first thought it was a more common species, an ant-lion, but he discovered its real identity when he was giving an online class where he talked about insects from his personal collection. in 2020.
“We all discovered together that it was not the identified insect, says the doctoral student in entomology, Codey Mathis. I remember the feeling we had. It was rewarding and exciting.”
This discovery could lead to a new understanding of how biodiversity adapts in a changing environment.
Skvarla is of the opinion that a population of the species thought to be extinct on the North American continent may have survived undetected, as it would be under-searched compared to other areas in similar biodiversity, such as the southern Appalachians.
The reason for the large population decline of the Ithonidae in North America in the 20th century, and why one of these specimens made its way to a Walmart in Arkansas, however, remains a mystery.
The massive arrival of artificial light and the increase in pollution linked to urbanization during these years are hypotheses considered by the researchers.
“A discovery like this shows how even in a daily life situation, there are still many discoveries to be made about insects,” says the director of the insect identification laboratory.