The species are so small, all nine could fit together on a U.S. nickel, and they present a rare opportunity to study a group that’s disappearing fast. Worldwide, mollusks account for more than 50% of all recorded extinctions since the year 1500.

The fossils were discovered sandwiched between thick layers of basalt in India’s Deccan Traps, a formation created by one of the largest volcanic eruptions in Earth’s history. Initially discovered in the 1970s, the identity of the fossils remained a mystery until researchers at the Florida Museum noticed something odd about preserved seeds within the fruit.

In the news

Carnivorous flying saucer creature — with ‘blade-shaped’ teeth — is a new species – Miami Herald 🔒

Court orders end to shark culling in New Caledonia – Forbes

Evolution: Fast or slow? Lizards help resolve a paradox – Quanta Magazine

UF professors: Resurrecting Fort Mose, America’s first sanctioned free Black settlement – The Florida Times-Union 🔒

Argiope spiders lure male Hemileuca moth prey with the promise of sex - Insects

Modern wise men find mystery fossil is fruit of the frankincense family – Newsweek

The oldest known fossils of the frankincense and myrrh family come from India – Cosmos Magazine

Some crustaceans have evolved a way to make silk – Science

UF grant funds project to forecast risk of mosquito-borne diseases – Mainstreet Daily News

Research publications

Draft genome assemblies for two species of Escallonia (Escalloniales) – BMC Genomic Data

The early Eocene flora of Horsefly, British Columbia, Canada and its phytogeographic significance – Fossil Imprint

Embryonic development of the neotropical pit viper Bothrops atrox (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae), with emphasis on pit organ morphogenesis and its evolution in snakes – Developmental Dynamics

Evolutionary genomics of three agricultural pest moths reveals rapid evolution of host adaptation and immune-related genes – GigaScience

Humans in the loop: Community science and machine learning synergies for overcoming herbarium digitization bottlenecks – Applications in Plant Sciences

A new endemic Smilax (Smilacaceae) from Tafelberg, Suriname, supported by morphometric and phylogenetic evidence – Systematic Botany

The panzootic potential of SARS-CoV-2 – BioScience

A new endemic species from the Guiana Shield, Smilax brevipedunculata (Smilacaceae) – Harvard Papers in Botany

Quantifying error in occurrence data: Comparing the data quality of iNaturalist and digitized herbarium specimen data in flowering plant families of the southeastern United States – PLOS ONE

Support the Museum

B.J. and Eve Wilder Endowment

Graduate students at the Florida Museum conduct cutting-edge research, tackling big questions about the history of life on Earth, the relationships between organisms in the tree of life and the perils to biodiversity under a changing climate.

Funding from the B.J. and Eve Wilder Endowment is used by students to help cover the cost of research field work and travel to present their findings at scientific conferences around the world.

Banner Image: Who observes the observers?

iNaturalist allows anyone with a phone or camera and an Internet connection to upload and identify photos of plants, animals and fungi anywhere in the world. It’s also an incredible resource for biologists, who can tap into iNaturalist’s massive cache of biological data to take the pulse of a changing planet. Information gleaned from the platform has contributed to more than 1,400 studies.

Read: Who observes the observers? Scientists conduct large-scale study of iNaturalist users