🦀 Giant clawed bug from 100 million years ago discovered in amber

An insect that looks like a mini crab, with claws on its front legs: this is what scientists have discovered in 100-million-year-old amber from Myanmar.

This fossil belongs to the group of aquatic bugs, but it possesses an extremely rare feature among insects: large pincer-like claws, called chelae. To date, only three other insect groups have developed similar structures.


To study this specimen in detail, researchers used micro-CT scanning to reconstruct its anatomy in three dimensions. They then compared the shape of its claws with more than 2,000 other arthropods, both living and extinct. The analysis showed that its chelae are unique among insects, resembling those of crabs and shrimp.

Due to its peculiar anatomy, scientists named this new species Carcinonepa libererrantes. The genus combines the Greek word for "crab" and nepa, which refers to aquatic bugs. The species, meanwhile, pays tribute to the K-pop group Stray Kids, as the fossil's claw posture resembles their signature gesture.


Based on its body characteristics, the bug was classified among aquatic bugs, but its closest living relatives are "toad bugs," terrestrial predators. This suggests that C. libererrantes also lived on land, likely in a Cretaceous forest near the coast. Its large claws were probably used to capture small insects.

This discovery illustrates a phenomenon of convergent evolution, where different groups independently develop similar features. It also shows how fossils in amber can preserve incredible details about ancient ecosystems. The study was published in the journal Insects.