Paleontologists discover firefly ancestor nearly 100 mln years old

Photo provided by the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows the insect specimen, believed to be the ancestor of the firefly, in a piece of amber fossil.(Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences/Handout via Xinhua)

NANJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Paleontologists from China, the Czech Republic and Britain have discovered an insect specimen, believed to be the ancestor of the firefly, the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said Wednesday.

The insect, named Cretophengodidae, was found in an amber from Myanmar, which is approximately 99 million years old, thus dating back to the golden age of dinosaurs.

Photo provided by the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows the insect specimen, believed to be the ancestor of the firefly, in a piece of amber fossil.(Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences/Handout via Xinhua)