A newly identified fossil found among museum collections offers fresh insight into the early evolution of insects, revealing that some of the first bugs may have had far more legs than their modern descendants. The fossil, named *Chosha praecursor*, dates back approximately 324 million years and displays a combination of insect and crustacean features, including a body divided into three segments, a pair of antennae, and an unusual 24 legs—four times the six legs typical of today’s insects.

The discovery emerged from the work of Erik Tihelka, a doctoral student in paleontology at Cambridge University, who first encountered the fossil in an outdated Russian textbook. The specimen had been unearthed in Texas and housed in the San Diego Natural History Museum since 1985, initially thought to be an early crustacean. Upon closer microscopic examination using specialized lighting filters during a visit to the United States, Tihelka confirmed the fossil’s insect traits alongside crustacean characteristics, suggesting it represents a transitional species in the move from aquatic to terrestrial life.

This find addresses the so-called “hexapod gap,” a poorly understood span in the fossil record from roughly 385 to 322 million years ago during which insect fossils are scarce. *Chosha praecursor* sits just within this gap, providing a rare glimpse into insect evolution during this critical period. Its anatomy suggests an amphibious lifestyle, with some of its legs adapted for paddling in water and others suited for walking on land.

The research team also re-examined other fossils with extra legs, such as *Leverhulmia* from Scotland, dating back 405 million years, and two 306-million-year-old specimens from Illinois’s Mazon Creek formation. Despite their multiple legs, these fossils were also identified as insects, indicating a broader diversity in early insect morphology. However, paleontologists note that the transition to terrestrial life varied among species, with some like *Leverhulmia* appearing better adapted to dry environments.

Experts unaffiliated with the study have emphasized the significance of this discovery. Richard J. Knecht, a paleobiologist at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, described early insect evolution as a puzzle largely pieced together from a handful of fossils, making each new finding crucial to understanding these origins. David Grimaldi, curator at the American Museum of Natural History, called the evidence “revelatory,” affirming that the fossil more convincingly fits within the insect lineage than crustaceans.

Beyond shedding light on the evolutionary history of insects, the discovery underscores the value of museum collections in enabling new research. Specimens like *Chosha praecursor*, long held in storage, can yield groundbreaking insights when examined through modern technologies and fresh perspectives, illustrating the continuing relevance of preserved fossils in scientific inquiry.