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Cicadidae is among the most species-rich insect households today. Compared to the number of living types, fossil records of Cicadidae are exceptionally restricted. The newly-discovered types, Eoplatypleura messelensisnot just represents among the earliest recognized Cicadidae fossil from the Eurasian continent, however likewise the earliest verified record of the subfamily Cicadinae around the world to date.
Life restoration of Eoplatypleura messelensisImage credit: Dinghua Yang.
Eoplatypleura messelensis resided in Europe around 47 million years ago (Eocene date).
“The household of real cicadas (Cicadidae) is among the most species-rich bug groups today,”stated Dr. Sonja Wedmann, a paleontologist at the Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt/Main.
” Nevertheless, there are just extremely couple of fossil discovers compared to the a great deal of modern-day types.”
“Within this household, the Platypleurini group is especially striking– it has a broad circulation and consists of several types with unique qualities.”
“For the very first time, we have actually now explained a fossil from this group of cicadas.”
2 fossil specimens of Eoplatypleura messelensis were discovered at the Messel Pit, an oil shale open-cast mine that lies 10 km northeast of Darmstadt in the German state of Hesse.
“The brand-new Messel fossil is defined by a compact head with unnoticeable substance eyes and broad forewings with a significantly curved leading edge,” stated Dr. Hui Jiang, a paleontologist at the Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt/Main, Charles University, the Universität Bonn and Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology.
“Although the fossil is a woman, its category recommends that males of this group can producing loud breeding calls.”
Eoplatypleura messelensisadult woman. Image credit: Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt/Main.
The ancient bug had a body length of 2.65 cm and a wingspan of 6.82 cm, and is significant for its extensive and noticeably patterned wings.
“These patterns resemble those of contemporary cicada types of the Platypleurini group, which reside in woods and scrubland,” Dr. Jiang stated.
“Given the subtropical greenery in the Messel location around 47 million years back, the pigmentation might have satisfied a comparable eco-friendly function– for instance as camouflage.”
Eoplatypleura messelensis is among the earliest recognized agents these days’s real cicadas in Eurasia and represents the earliest record of the subfamily Cicadinae worldwide,” Dr. Wedmann stated.
“It is likewise the very first explained buzzing cicada from the Messel Pit.”
“The discovery not just broadens our understanding of the animals of the Messel Pit however likewise closes a crucial space in the history of cicadas in the Eocene.”
“In the future, Eoplatypleura messelensis might function as an essential sequential recommendation for hereditary research studies on the evolutionary history of these animals and offer brand-new insights into the origin and spread of the Platypleurini.”
The group’s paper was released on April 29, 2025 in the journal Scientific Reports
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H. Jiang et al2025. Sounds from the Eocene: the very first singing cicada from the Messel Pit, Germany. Sci Rep 15, 12826; doi: 10.1038/ s41598-025-94099-7
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