Jurassic-Era Insect: Ancient Bug Found in Walmart

Many times, the scientific discoveries that shape our world are intentional and start with deliberate research. However, at other times, these discoveries are made as we carry out our day-to-day activities unsuspectingly. Such is the case of a scientist who found an insect from the Jurassic era in the most unlikely place.

The year is 2012, and the location is in Walmart, Fayetteville, Arkansas. For Penn State University’s Insect Identification Lab Director, Michael Skvarla, it was like every other day when he walked into Walmart to get milk.

He shared, “I was walking into Walmart to get milk and I saw this huge insect on the side of the building. I thought it looked interesting, so I put it in my hand and did the rest of my shopping with it between my fingers.”

So, what’s an antlion? Is it something that looks like an ant but has the characteristics of a lion? Well, antlions are bugs from the Myrmeleontidae zoological classification. True to your assumptions, their name is a combination of the Greek words, “myrmex” meaning ant, and “leon” meaning lion.

Years later, during the pandemic, Michael was to teach insect biodiversity and evolution to an entomology class on Zoom. As a form of visual aid, he decided to use specimen samples from his own collection. As you can already predict, this collection included the ‘antlion’ he picked up at Walmart.

At this point, Michael realized his mistake — he corrected himself and called the insect a lacewing due to its size. The wingspan of a giant lacewing is roughly 50 millimeters.

One of the entomology doctoral candidates, Codey Mathis, says, “we were watching what Dr. Skvarla saw under his microscope and he’s talking about the features and then just kinda stops.”

To be sure, they had to prove their theory. Michael collaborated with fellow scientists to determine the insect’s true identity using molecular DNA tests. Next, they examined the location and time the mystery bug was found.

The bug was presumed to have gone extinct in the entire region. So, Michael says that how the insect managed to stay put in Arkansas remains a mystery. He believes this insect from the Jurassic era may be one of its large surviving populations.

J. Ray Fisher from Mississippi State University’s Entomological Museum calls this area in the Ozark Mountains a potential biodiversity hotspot. Although this region isn’t as studied as others, it boasts hundreds of insect, animal, and plant species. Thinking about visiting the Ozarks?

While we may call the recent sighting of the lacewing a discovery, it’s unclear whether this is the correct term. Everyone has different views about why the giant lacewing disappeared from North America.

Although no one knows why the bugs disappeared for sure, some scientists believe that it could be related to the pollution brought on by urbanization and the steady rise in artificial light.

Why is this discovery such a big deal? What are the implications of finding this rare Jurassic-era insect? A Penn State doctoral candidate, Louis Nastasi, answers this question.

Our sources report that the insect has been deposited safely at Penn State’s Frost Entomological Museum. It’s part of their collection and will be available for students and scientists who want to undertake further research.

Discoveries aren’t meant for scientists alone. Although this one was made by a scientist, we believe it was a mere coincidence. This story proves there’s always a probability of discovering something new in the most random places.