True Bug Insect Fossil from Yixian Formation

Yixian Formation in Liaoning Province in northeast China has remained one of the hottest paleontology study sites on earth the past two decades, and is perhaps most famous for discoveries of feathered dinosaurs. From feathered dinosaurs to birds to reptiles with color patterns, the fine lake silts of Liaoning preserved the most intricate of life from more than 100 million years ago. Relatively hard to preserve insects are well represented in the diverse Liaoning biota.

This Hemipteran fossil is has many fine details preserved. Called true bugs, Hemipterans are distinquished by a proboscis capable of piercing plant and animal tissues. There members include cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, and suborder Heteroptera includes the assasin bugs and bed bugs, among others. The first Hemipterans appear in the early Permian fossil record, with suborder Heteroptera first appearing in the Triassic.