New prehistoric fly and giant fungus species discovered

Researchers have announced two significant paleontological and biological discoveries. In Japan, a 90-million-year-old fossil of a previously unknown fly species, named Iwakimukashiasinagabae, was found preserved in amber in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture. The specimen, an extinct male from the genus Abenaphorus, features unique long, sharp spines on its hind legs, suggesting specialized mating behaviors dating back to the Cretaceous period.

In Yunnan Province, China, scientists have identified a new genus and family of fungi named Dianjunus rex, or ‘D-rex’. This giant fungus, which can reach 50 cm in height and weigh up to 2.2 kg, belongs to an evolutionary lineage estimated to have emerged approximately 65 million years ago. It represents the largest reproductive structure ever recorded within the Ascomycota phylum.