Fossil Shows Connection Between Russia and Canada 53 Years Ago

There is a new discovery of a 53 million year old insect fossil called a scorpionfly at B.C.'s McAbee fossil bed site that has a striking resemblance to the same age from Pacific coastal Russia. This has given some further evidence for the ancient connection between Russia and Canada. The connection has already been seen by the researchers through various fossil plants and animals but these insects have shown it in a pleasing way as mentioned by Bruce Archibald who is a research associate in Simon Fraser University's Department of Biological Sciences and the Royal BC Museum.

Archibald and Alexandr Rasnitsyn of Moscow's Russian Academy of Sciences said that both the species are so identical to each other that only the wing color of the new species can tell them apart. They described the findings and its significance in this month's The Canadian Entomologist. There is prior case that has shown two species to be this much alike and also, so close in age as found in Pacific Canada and Pacific Russia, mentioned Archibald. He also noted that the only relative of the insect can be found in temperate forest of central Chile. The species has been names Eomerope eonearctica. The fossil site has now been designated a provincial heritage by the province of B.C. because of its spectacular fossil record.

By: Neha Maheshwari

Content: https://phys.org/news/2018-03-fossils-highlight-canada-russia-million-years.html