The insect fossil unearthed in Yangquan, North China's Shanxi province. [Photo/Shanxi news network]

A groundbreaking discovery was recently made in Yangquan by researchers from the Capital Normal University's School of Life Sciences. They identified China's first Mecoptera insect fossil from the Permian period, a new genus and species.

The fossil, cataloged as YQZYW15, was uncovered during a 2022 field survey conducted by the Yangquan municipal bureau of planning and natural resources. Following its discovery, a scientific team from Capital Normal University conducted detailed research and further field studies.

Mecoptera fossils are exceptionally rare, as these insects existed only during the Carboniferous to Permian periods, approximately 300 million years ago. Fossil evidence suggests that Mecoptera insects disappeared during the mass extinction at the end of the Permian period, around 252 million years ago.

The discovery of Yangquanella sinensis is significant as it fills a gap in China's Permian insect fossil record. This ancient species, with its distinctively eastern characteristics, provides new insights into these ancient insect groups' global distribution and diversity.