Prehistoric Insect Named After K-pop Group Stray Kids
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A tiny insect that lived about 100 million years ago has been given a name inspired by Stray Kids, a South Korean boy band. The newly described species, Carcinonepa libererrantes (C. libererrantes), dates back to the Cretaceous Period. This is the time when dinosaurs still roamed Earth.
Carolin Haug, a zoologist at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and her team discovered the prehistoric bug inside amber bought online from fossil dealers. The amber came from the Kachin region of Myanmar. This is one of the world’s most important sources of amber fossils. Amber forms from sticky tree resin. Over millions of years, the resin hardens and preserves small organisms trapped inside.
The researchers used high-resolution CT scans to study the fossil. Based on its body shape, they concluded the insect belonged to a group known as true bugs. These include insects like stink bugs that feed using needle-like mouthparts. What made this species stand out was its enlarged front legs. Each one ended in a pincer-like claw. These structures are known as chelae. They are common in crabs and lobsters but extremely rare in insects. These claws may have helped the insect catch or grip prey.
This is only the fourth known insect group to have a claw-like structure. The scientists say this is an example of convergent evolution. This refers to unrelated groups of animals, like this insect and crabs, developing similar features for the same purpose.
The insect’s scientific name was inspired by its appearance. Carcinonepa combines a Greek word for “crab” with Nepa, a genus of aquatic true bugs. Libererrantes comes from the Latin words liberi ("children") and errantes ("wandering"). It is a tribute to Stray Kids.
Carolin Haug explained that this idea came from the insect’s front claws, which resemble the K-pop group’s trademark "Step Out" hand pose. Additionally, Fenja Haug, co-author of the study published in the journal Insects in April 2026, is a big fan of the boy band.
Resources: Phys.org, Sciencetechdaily.com
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