Scientists have discovered rare, tiny whitefly fossils in New Zealand, offering a fascinating glimpse into the country’s ancient forests.
These delicate fossils, just 1.5mm in size, were found preserved on the underside of a fossilized leaf in 15-million-year-old sediments at Hindon Maar, near Dunedin.
The study, published in Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, highlights the incredible preservation and importance of these finds.
Whiteflies are small insects, with adult whiteflies measuring about 3mm.
The fossils discovered are puparia—the protective shells from which whiteflies emerge. Finding fossilized puparia is extremely rare.
According to Dr. Uwe Kaulfuss, who discovered the fossils during an excavation earlier this year, the preservation required extraordinary circumstances.
“Millions of years ago, the leaf with these whitefly puparia likely fell into a small lake, sank, and was quickly buried by sediment,” Dr. Kaulfuss explains. “The result is an amazingly well-preserved snapshot of life from that time.”
These fossils are not only the first whitefly puparia found in New Zealand but also only the third known example globally. The discovery adds a new piece to the puzzle of understanding ancient ecosystems in the South Island.
Emeritus Professor Daphne Lee from the University of Otago says the fossils provide a rare look at insects’ role in ancient forests. “Most people focus on big, dramatic fossils, but insects are the backbone of forest ecosystems,” she says. “The fact that these whiteflies were preserved in life position on the leaf is incredible.”
New Zealand has a unique insect population, with 90% of its 14,000 insect species found nowhere else. Discoveries like this show that whiteflies have been part of New Zealand’s ecosystems for at least 15 million years. This offers scientists an important reference point for studying the evolution of insects in the region.
The Hindon Maar site and other fossil locations in Otago are yielding new insights into ancient insect life. Recent finds include fossils of danceflies, craneflies, phantom midges, and marsh beetles—all firsts for New Zealand.
“From knowing almost nothing about ancient insects, we now have hundreds of examples that help us understand the biodiversity and history of our forests,” Professor Lee adds. These tiny fossils may be small, but they hold big clues about the evolution of life in New Zealand.
