Pulchritudo attenboroughi: Frog-Legged Beetle Renamed

Sribas Chowdhury, Adamas University, Kolkata

Scientists Frank Krell and Francesco Vitali recently worked together and renamed the fossil of a frog-legged beetle. The beetle had been on showcase at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science since 1995. It is reported to have been in existence nearly 49 million years ago. The beetle was initially identified as longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae). However, after close inspection, it was confirmed that the beetle belonged to the subfamily of Sangrinae (Chrysomelidae), commonly known as frog-legged leaf beetle.

The Discovery

The fossil was discovered at The Eocene Green River Formation in north-western Colorado. The fine-grained limestone matrix provides detailed preservation of even minute structures. This is why the Green River Formation is usually considered to be a Lagerstäte. The fossil found is considered to be one of the highest quality compression fossils, due to the remarkable preservation of its patterns.

The Elytra

Elytra are the wing cases found in insects and are primarily used for flying. These are very sturdy structures in the beetle exoskeleton and are usually seen in fossils. However, in most fossils, the clear and remarkable pattern is usually absent due to the poor preservation of pigments. But, in the case of Pulchritudo, the elytral pattern was clear, symmetrical, and sharp with high contrast. This made it the fossil with the most perfectly preserved patterns amongst all fossil beetles.

The Reason for A Separate Genus

Upon thorough inspection, it was concluded that the beetle belonged to the Chrysomelidae family of beetles. But, due to some of its unique physical features, the scientists couldn’t fit into any existing genera under the family. The beetle was much larger, had smooth striae, a straighter outline of elytra, and it’s elytron was 3 times larger than the maximum width recorded. Hence, the scientists concluded that the fossil had to be placed under a new genus name. 

Explanation of the Name

Any scientific name consists of two parts: a genus name, followed by the specific species name. For example, the scientific name of human beings is Homo sapiens, so here the genus name is Homo and the species name is sapiens. In the case of the beetle, it is named Pulchritudo attenboroughi. The genus name is Pulchitrudo, which in Latin means beauty. This was given keeping in mind the beautifully preserved patterns of the elytra. The species name is attenboroughi. This is inspired by Sir David Frederick Attenborough, who was an English broadcaster and naturalist. He had inspired the author Krell, his family, and millions of others. So, it was a perfect way of honouring him and his contributions.

Conclusion

Pulchritudo attenboroughi , or frog legged beetle, is one of the finest specimens of a fossil beetle. It is the second named frog-legged leaf beetle found in North America, having the best pigment-based preserved elytral patterns of all beetle fossils discovered to date. And after looking at its images, viewers can surely agree that the insect does indeed live up to its name!

Also read: Identifying tooth decay by targeting bacteria

References:

1. Krell, F., & Vitali, F. (2021). Attenborough’s beauty: Exceptional pattern preservation in a frog‐legged leaf beetle from the Eocene Green River Formation, Colorado (Coleoptera, chrysomelidae, sagrinae). Papers in Palaeontology, spp2.1398. https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1398
2. Nature, D. M. of & Science. (n.d.). Scientists name new frog-legged beetle fossil for Sir David Attenborough. Retrieved 15 August 2021, from https://phys.org/news/2021-08-scientists-frog-legged-beetle-fossil-sir.html

• The Corrosion Prediction from the Corrosion Product Performance
• Nitrogen Resilience in Waterlogged Soybean plants
• Cell Senescence in Type II Diabetes: Therapeutic Potential
• Transgene-Free Canker-Resistant Citrus sinensis with Cas12/RNP
• AI Literacy in Early Childhood Education: Challenges and Opportunities