A fossil sensation: First Hybrid between Odonata and Arachnida!

[oilshale]

A sensation: First fossil evidence of a hybrid of Odonata and Arachnida from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia.
A talented artist has painted one pair of legs too much by mistake.

Was unfortunately sold to a trusting collector.

[DPS Ammonite]

2 minutes ago, oilshale said:

Was unfortunately sold to a trusting collector.

I hope that was not you.

[oilshale]

1 minute ago, DPS Ammonite said:

I hope that was not you.

Nope

But dragonfly larvae from there are rare. With only six legs I would have been interested. Fortunately, it was not sold for much money.

[FranzBernhard]

Thanks for sharing, @oilshale!

Is this completely bogus or are there some real parts? I can at least decipher paint within these ugly scratches, of course. Well, than it seems everything has been painted over, but I would like to know if there are some real parts. Thanks!
Franz Bernhard

[daves64]

At least the rock's real....  I think..

[RuMert]

Interesting. Could that be a mutation or insect anatomy (segments) prevents that? You know, additional legs and even heads are possible with vertebrates. 

Alternatively the 1st left and the last right legs are more suspicious

Edited May 20, 2021 by RuMert

[FossilDAWG]

It looks to me as if some of it is real, and it was "enhanced" with paint by someone unfamiliar with the actual anatomy.  Perhaps the paint could be removed with acetone or another solvent?  If so something might still be salvaged of it.

 

Don

[oilshale]

Unfortunately, I have not had the piece in hand.
The body  is probably real (maybe painted over, but at least not very much). Also some of the feet seem to be real. I suspect that the head with the thorax was damaged / scratched and the artist painted additional pairs of legs to it out of ignorance to conceal the defect.

[Alexei]

It's not even a dragonfly. Most likely a coptoclavid larva, probably Daohugounectes. All four pairs of legs and the head are fake.

[oilshale]

On 5/28/2021 at 10:18 AM, Alexei said:

It's not even a dragonfly. Most likely a coptoclavid larva, probably Daohugounectes. All four pairs of legs and the head are fake.

Ah, good to learn. I always thought this was a dragonfly larva - now I realize it is most likely a coptoclavid larva. One less error.

Thanks Alexei!

 

[Alexei]

Well, this one could be a dragonfly nymph. I'm not sure. Doesn't look like Daohugou. Yixian, I guess?

The fake "Odonata" is easily recognisable as a coptoclavid larva by conspicuous tracheal trunks, paired urogomphs, and flattened tarsus typical of Coptoclavidae (it's clearly visible on the right side between hind and middle "legs").
(tried to attach a picture, but it doesn't seem to work, no idea why)