Mochaccino Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 (edited) Hello, I recently purchased this piece of Baltic amber with an insect inclusion. Don't have it in hand yet so can't do the more exhaustive tests, but I was wondering if someone could help identify the insect inclusion, and at least visually assess if it seems legit? Regarding ID I'm thinking it might be a Caddisfly, as it is quite large (~1cm) and seems to have 2 pairs of hairy wings and very long antennae. Regarding authenticity I don't see any visual red flags, and it also doesn't seem to be an inclusion fabricated in real amber as afaik there would be faint swirls around the inclusion where it was melted in with molten resin or copal. The seller also sells a variety of other amber products and jewelry so they seem quite legit. Thoughts? Thanks. Edited January 14, 2022 by Mochaccino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 Nice looking piece of amber! I also don’t see any red flags visually. I’m not an expert at insect inclusions but i also believe its a caddis fly…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mochaccino Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 2 hours ago, Randyw said: Nice looking piece of amber! I also don’t see any red flags visually. I’m not an expert at insect inclusions but i also believe its a caddis fly…. Good to hear, that's what I thought. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holdinghistory Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 No flags for me. I would say Caddisfly as well. Nice to have a piece where the antennae are so much within the amber and not polished away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mochaccino Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 3 hours ago, holdinghistory said: No flags for me. I would say Caddisfly as well. Nice to have a piece where the antennae are so much within the amber and not polished away! Thanks and agreed, those incredible intact long antennae are the main reason I went for this piece! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrmica Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 I agree that it looks like a caddis fly. Take a look under a microscope and see if you can spot small hairs on the wings - that is the meaning of the taxonomic name of the caddis flies: Trichoptera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mochaccino Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 7 minutes ago, Myrmica said: I agree that it looks like a caddis fly. Take a look under a microscope and see if you can spot small hairs on the wings - that is the meaning of the taxonomic name of the caddis flies: Trichoptera. Indeed I can! This is one of the reasons for my initial guess as well. I've attached a close-up of the wings; both pairs have bristly hairs. Seems like almost certainly a caddis fly, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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