In the 1950s, Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) entomologist Milton Sanderson collected 160 pounds of amber in the Dominican Republic. In a paper published in Science in 1960, Sanderson described several specimens from the collection and then it was put into storage and largely forgotten until it was uncovered by paleontologist Sam Heads in 2010.

Much of the amber is clouded and researchers are carefully sorting, cleaning and polishing “windows” into the stones to get a look at what is inside. The process will take years to complete but the results are providing a glimpse into a long lost, 20-million-year-old past.

Researchers have already found Azteca ants, wasps, bark beetles, mites, spiders, mating flies, stingless bees, gall midges, plant parts and a mammal hair. They have also uncovered a previously unknown species of grasshopper.

The pygmy locust was about the size of a rose thorn and fed on algae, moss and fungi. The researchers report that it represents an intermedia stage in to evolution of its subfamily of locusts (Cladonotinae).

Ancient representatives of this group had wings, its modern descendants do not. The newly discovered animal appears to have “vestigial wings.” The wing structure was still in place, but the pygmy locust was not able to fly.

“Grasshoppers are very rare in amber and this specimen is extraordinarily well-preserved,” said Heads in a statement.

The new locust has been named Electrotettix attenboroughi, in honor of British naturalist and filmmaker Sir David Attenborough.

“Sir David has a personal interest in amber, and also he was one of my childhood heroes and still is one of my heroes and so I decided to name the species in his honor — with his permission of course,” said Heads.

David Attenborough is also the brother of actor Richard Attenborough who appeared in the film Jurassic Park, a story about dinosaurs cloned from blood found in amber bound mosquitos.

The piece of amber containing the pygmy locust also contained wasps, ants, midges, plant remnants and fungi which provide additional clues about the animals habitat and physiological needs.

“Fossil insects can provide lots of insight into the evolution of specific traits and behaviors, and they also tell us about the history of the time period. They’re a tremendous resource for understanding the ancient world, ancient ecosystems and the ancient climate – better even, perhaps, than dinosaur bones,” said Heads.

The latest findings of the team which includes Heads, laboratory technician Jared Thomas and study co-author Yinan Wang can be found in the journal ZooKeys.