The dinosaur-age insect with a mouth almost twice its body length
labium
The lower mouth part that reached into narrow spaces.
micro-CT
A scan that uses X-rays to make a three-dimensional picture.
Neazoniidae
An extinct family that included this insect.
What happened
About 99 million years ago, a tiny insect became trapped in tree resin. The resin hardened into amber and preserved the insect. Researchers have now described it as a new species, Cretodorus noonoo. The team studied fossils from Kachin amber in Myanmar. The species name refers to Noo-Noo, the long-hosed vacuum character from Teletubbies.
What the insect was like
Cretodorus noonoo belonged to Neazoniidae, an extinct family of planthoppers. Its body was small. One mouthpart, called the labium, reached almost twice the body length. The labium had many crosswise folds. Several fossils preserve it in a curved position.
How it may have fed
The folds probably helped the long labium bend without collapsing. Researchers think the insect could push it into narrow cracks in tree bark. It may then have reached tree sap or another fluid inside the bark. This is a reconstruction, not a recorded feeding event.
The mouth pointed backward, so it was not simply a butterfly-like nectar straw. The team also found no convincing pollen deposits on the fossils. That weakens the idea that this insect was a pollinator.
What the evidence shows
The study examined 13 fossil specimens from Neazoniidae and related insects. High-resolution micro-CT scans revealed the mouthpart’s internal structure. The folds were part of the structure itself, rather than surface decoration. Bent specimens provide additional evidence that the mouthpart was flexible during life. Together, these observations support the description of a new species and a distinctive feeding design.
Why it matters
The discovery adds more than a name to the fossil record. Similar corrugated feeding structures appeared in several unrelated Cretaceous insects. That repeated pattern may indicate that ancient forests offered feeding opportunities that are rare today. The researchers cautiously connect the design with resin-producing forests and possible access to fluids under thick bark. If that interpretation is correct, a tiny mouthpart can reveal something about an entire vanished ecosystem.
What remains unknown
Amber preserves shape and position, but not a complete meal. Scientists still do not know which trees Cretodorus noonoo used, what fluid it took, or how its mouth tip worked against bark. More fossils could show variation in the mouthpart and body. Comparisons with other Cretaceous insects and plant remains may test the forest explanation. The next step is not to treat the feeding story as settled, but to see whether new evidence can narrow it.
A tiny insect had a mouth nearly twice its body length
📰 Full story: The dinosaur-age insect with a mouth almost twice its body length
Scientists found a dinosaur-age insect with a mouth built to bend.
amber
Hardened tree resin that can preserve ancient life.
micro-CT
A scan that shows the inside of a fossil.
Neazoniidae
An extinct family that included this insect.
💡 The gist
- A tiny insect lived about 99 million years ago.
- Its mouth was almost twice its body length.
- It may have reached tree sap through bark cracks.
A fossil in amber
The insect lived when dinosaurs still ruled the land. It became trapped in tree resin. The resin hardened into amber. Amber preserved its body for millions of years.
Researchers studied amber fossils from Myanmar. They described a new species, Cretodorus noonoo. This is the scientific name for the insect. The name refers to Noo-Noo, a children’s television vacuum character.
A mouth built to bend
The insect belonged to Neazoniidae. This was an extinct planthopper family. Its body was small. Its mouthpart was nearly twice as long. Fine folds ran across the mouthpart. The folds probably gave it flexibility. They also helped stop the long part from collapsing.
This design could have helped the insect enter bark cracks. It might have reached fluids hidden inside. Scientists do not know this from watching the insect. They infer it from fossil shapes.
How the evidence was found
The team examined 13 fossils from Kachin amber. The fossils included this group and close relatives. They used micro-CT scans. These scans showed the mouthpart inside and outside. Several mouthparts remained bent in the amber. That supports the idea of natural flexibility. The fossils did not show convincing pollen deposits. So, scientists have little evidence for flower feeding.
Why it matters
The discovery shows that old forests supported unusual feeding designs. Similar folded mouthparts appeared in other unrelated Cretaceous insects. Those insects may have solved similar problems separately. Perhaps deep cracks or thick bark offered useful food. This idea remains cautious. The fossils show the shape, not the whole feeding moment.
What scientists still need to learn
Researchers do not know which trees this insect used. They do not know exactly what fluid it drank. Future fossils may reveal more mouth shapes. Plant remains may also clarify the ancient forest. For now, Cretodorus noonoo gives scientists a small but valuable clue. It connects insect anatomy with a vanished forest world.
The tiny old bug with a very long mouth
📰 Full story: The dinosaur-age insect with a mouth almost twice its body length
A bug from dinosaur times had a mouth like a bendy straw.
amber
Hard tree sap that can hold a tiny bug.
Cretodorus noonoo
The science name for this very old bug.
tree sap
The drink-like liquid inside a tree.
A very old bug
Dinosaurs lived when this bug was alive. The bug got stuck in sticky tree sap. The sap hardened and became amber. Amber kept the bug safe inside. Scientists named it Cretodorus noonoo. That is its science name.
A very long mouth
The bug was small. Its mouth was almost twice its body length. The mouth could bend without squashing. Scientists think it sipped tree juice through bark cracks. They are not sure yet.
What comes next
More fossils may tell us more. Maybe they will show what the bug ate.