Scientists Discover a Strange Arachnid Trapped in Amber 35 Million Years Ago

Researchers identified a new harvestman species, Balticolasma wunderlichi, from 35-million-year-old amber fossils in Ukraine and the Baltic region.

These specimens are the first known fossil members of the Ortholasmatinae subfamily, extending its fossil record.

The find suggests this arachnid group once had a much broader Northern Hemisphere range during the late Eocene.

It helps scientists reconstruct how harvestmen evolved and dispersed before their modern range contracted to East Asia and the Americas.