Arkansas USA (Global News)_The small town of Fayetville in Northwestern Arkansas is suddenly in the news – there are signs of the Jurassic era in, of all places, Walmart. A giant lacewing or Polystoechotes punctata, a large insect from the Jurassic period who predates the dinosaurs and once widespread but thought to be extinct from as far back as the 1950s, has been re-discovered.
It is the first ever recorded specimen in Arkansas and in a peer-reviewed study published, the Entomological Society of Washington speculates that the insect could have become extinct due to growing light pollution, less fire smoke which they like and the introduction of non-native predators into the region.
The Walmart is in the vicinity of the Ozark Mountains which is considered an under-studied biodiversity hotspot. There is also speculation that the lacewing could have hitched a ride on a long haul truck or a freight train bound for Walmart. However, the popular hypothesis is that the lacewing’s origins are from a relic population which has quietly persisted, resisting detection for the last half a century. However, repeated expeditions to the Fayetville Walmart and its surrounding forests have yielded no results. There have been no lacewings to be found.
Giant lacewings however have a history of being rediscovered. Way back in 1924, 65 years after the only known example was collected, one was found in Chile. And a new related species was spotted in Guatemala in 2020. It is understood that these lacewings are so elusive decades could pass by without a sighting.
