The strange insect was discovered by miners in Myanmar, encased and perfectly preserved in amber.
“This insect has a number of features that just don’t match those of any other insect species that I know,” said Professor George Poinar from Oregon State University.
“With its long neck, big eyes and strange oblong head, I thought it resembled E.T. I even made a Halloween mask that resembled the head of this insect. But when I wore the mask when trick-or-treaters came by, it scared the little kids so much I took it off.”
The new insect fondly named Aethiocarenus burmanicus does not fit into any of the 31 current insect family trees, prompting an entirely new order called Aethiocarenodea to be created to categorise the find.
