100 mn-year-old 'ET-like' insect species discovered in Myanmar

Scientists have discovered a 100-million-year-old insect species with a triangular head and 'ET-like' appearance preserved in amber in Myanmar.

The features of the insect so unusual that it has been placed in a new scientific order - an incredibly rare event.

There are about one million described species of insects, and millions more still to be discovered, but every species of insect on Earth has been placed in only 31 existing orders.

The small, wingless female insect that probably lived in fissures in the bark of trees, looking for mites, worms or fungi to feed on while dinosaurs lumbered nearby. It was tiny, but scary looking.

"This insect has a number of features that just don't match those of any other insect species that I know," said George Poinar, a professor at Oregon State University in the US.

"I had never really seen anything like it. It appears to be unique in the insect world, and after considerable discussion we decided it had to take its place in a new order," Poinar said.