New insect discovered in the rocks of Monte San Giorgio

A tapered body and long tail, similar to a thin sting. This is what Dasyleptus triassicus (see photo, right), a new insect discovered during the excavation work carried out on Monte San Giorgio, looks like in fossil form. The location, on the border between Varese Province and the Canton Ticino, never ceases to provide archaeologists and enthusiasts with new surprises, and this is also why it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, since 2003.

The archaeological research that led to this new discovery was carried out on the Ticino side, by the Cantonal Museum of Natural History. Excavations are being directed by the geologist and palaeontologist Rudolf Stockar, who is in charge of research at the site.

The new species (the photo here shows the insect that, today, is most similar to the one found) has been studied, in collaboration with the specialist Günter Bechly, the curator of the National History Museum in Stuttgart, and made official with the publication in the latest issue of the international magazine Palaeodiversity.

The fossil material contains three examples, which were discovered during excavations carried out in August 2010, in the Gaggiolo Valley (which is also known as “Val Mara”), near Meride.

For a number of reasons, this palaeontological discovery is considered to be one of the most important made on Monte San Giorgio in the last 150 years of palaeontological excavations.

Together with the new species of conifer described in 2010 (Elatocladus cassinae Stockar & Kustatscher), the new finding confirms the enormous scientific value and the considerable potential, even today, of Monte San Giorgio. Once more, the rocks of the Mount have confirmed their ability to preserve even extremely delicate remains, like the insect just discovered.

Museum on Monte San Giorgio: www.ti.ch/mcsn.