Fossil insect in amber.

[jnicholes]

Hi everyone,

 

I haven’t been on in a while, how is everyone?

 

I am posting today in hopes of getting an ID.

 

Backstory, a while ago, I was able to purchase a piece of “polished amber with insect,” on online. When it got here, I was skeptical about whether it was real amber or not. I did a LOT of testing. It passed the float test, the UV test, and I was able to calculate its specific gravity successfully. I am pretty sure it’s real amber.

 

Today, I took the amber out and looked at the insect under my microscope. At 40x magnification I saw so much TINY detail, I now believe it is not fake at all. I doubt anyone can make details this tiny.

 

Now the question, is it possible to ID this insect?

 

I am currently looking for an old email that has the details on where it was found and what type of amber it is.

 

Any help will be appreciated,

 

Jared

[Joe_17]

Just by looking at it, it looks like a leaf hopper nymph, a Hemipterid .

[connorp]

1 hour ago, jnicholes said:

Today, I took the amber out and looked at the insect under my microscope. At 40x magnification I saw so much TINY detail, I now believe it is not fake at all. I doubt anyone can make details this tiny.

I think the issue is more that sellers try to pass off modern insects encased in resin as fossils. I don't think anyone would go to the trouble of faking the actual insects.

[daves64]

What color is it with the uv (long wave)? With the color & clarity it could be Baltic or Burmese. Baltic (40-50myo) would be a bright greenish color under uv, while the Burmese (99 + myo) would be more of a light blueish green. As for fakery, they do use real amber pieces with some, complete with debris to make it seem genuine, but your bug doesn't look "posed" like the fake's generally are.

Edited January 20, 2022 by daves64

[jnicholes]

3 minutes ago, connorp said:

I think the issue is more that sellers try to pass off modern insects encased in resin as fossils. I don't think anyone would go to the trouble of faking the actual insects.

Point taken. But regardless, it still passed several amber tests.

 

If you want, I can redo the amber tests tomorrow just to be sure.

[jnicholes]

15 minutes ago, daves64 said:

What color is it with the uv (long wave)? With the color & clarity it could be Baltic or Burmese. Baltic (40-50myo) would be a bright greenish color under uv, while the Burmese (99 + myo) would be more of a light blueish green. As for fakery, they do use real amber pieces with some, complete with debris to make it seem genuine, but your bug doesn't look "posed" like the fake's generally are.

I lost the photo and the UV flashlight, but it was kind of a greenish blue, mostly green under UV light.

[Randyw]

I’m with joe_17 and daves64. I suspect it’s real, possible a leaf hopper nymph, and either baltic or burmese. Although i’m leaning towards burmese.

[Yoda]

Agree with the others. 

Looks genuine 

 

@holdinghistory ??

[jnicholes]

Thank you all for the input so far.

 

I just found the email from the seller who sold it to me. It was advertised as a leafhopper., Just like you guys said.

 

The exact type of amber was not specified.

 

Anyway, from what you guys say, it definitely sounds like it’s real.

 

Thanks again,

 

Jared