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Parasitic Fungus in Amber?


TreasureHunter02

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I frequently purchase a large amount of amber from someone I know in Burma. Most of these pieces I only have some idea of what's in them until I get them in hand and am able to look at them myself under my microscope. I recently received another large shipment and it included this piece in it. As soon as I started looking at the inclusion I knew I had to make a post here for more opinions on the piece before I get my hopes up to much. However to me this 100 percent looks like a parasitic fungus that infected a Diptera. I'm not an expert by any means, but I've always had an interest in mycology, specifically parasitic fungi such as Cordyceps. Before I get my hopes up, what do you all think? It's definitely attached to the Diptera. I looked at it from every angle possible. I will be getting a macro photography set up but that won't be for a few more months so unfortunately this is the best photos I can get. All opinions are welcome, thanks!!


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Edited by TreasureHunter02
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Im going to withhold judgement until you get the microsope photos but to me it looks like a parasitic worm. Theres a several species of parasitic worms that live in insects and comes out when the insect dies…. They are called nematodes if i remember right and are almost always only found in amber pieces when associated with insects…

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12 minutes ago, Randyw said:

Im going to withhold judgement until you get the microsope photos but to me it looks like a parasitic worm. Theres a several species of parasitic worms that live in insects and comes out when the insect dies…. They are called nematodes if i remember right and are almost always only found in amber pieces when associated with insects…

The issue with this is nematodes are not segmented like what's in the inclusion. Also, the round ball like part at the end is very similar to a lot of different fungi I have seen previously.

Example of a nematode (not my picture):

2 The Early Cretaceous Cretacimermis protus leaving its biting midge... |  Download Scientific Diagram

Edited by TreasureHunter02
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True most of them are. But they come in many different shapes. But like i said i’ll wait till you get the microscope set up.

8C54AF39-0977-4DD3-948C-FA750A980C37.jpeg

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Okay so I was able to get some better pictures and I might just have a case of Pareidolia lol. Is it possible it's just a lot of ironically shaped methane gas that leaked out? The only thing throwing me off is it looks like there's something inside of the tube, which could of course just be some other inclusion that was in the right place at the right time.

 

 

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Edited by TreasureHunter02
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"ironically shaped methane gas" is a phrase I intend to use more often in conversations from now on.

 

Looks like liquid or gas now.

Best Regards,

J

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Try to learn something about everything and everything about something

Thomas Henry Huxley

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1 hour ago, Mahnmut said:

"ironically shaped methane gas" is a phrase I intend to use more often in conversations from now on.

 

Looks like liquid or gas now.

Best Regards,

J

I agree.

But I don’t have an explanation as to it’s origins :zzzzscratchchin:

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png MotM August 2023 - Eclectic Collector

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Hello,

As you friends mention - it can be gas.
It also reminds me a Stalactite in amber ( those "drop" at the edge ) but i had them only in Baltic ambers.
Stalactite it is "resin in resin" Inflow of resin to another resin, differing in density.

2035449581_7698PerfectStalactite.jpg

stalactite.jpg

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