evannorton Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Based on Richardson's Guide - I peg this as a roachoid wing. Do folks agree? Evan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Based on a photo in the book Fossil Invertebrates I agree completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgrilusHunter Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 (edited) Hi Evan, What a great find! That is definitely a fore wing of an early Dictyopteran! Modern roaches have indeed survived millions of years, but not hundreds of millions of years (when your fossil was deposited), just their lineage. Technically Paleozoic Dictyopterans were not roaches, they had a number of major differences. Most importantly, Paleozoic Dicytopterans possessed a large external ovipositor, a very ancestral trait in insects that evolved even before flight. Modern roaches have either lost this trait completely or it is greatly diminished. The figure below (modified from Grimaldi and Engel 2005) should give you a better understanding of the phylogenetic relationships within the Dictyoptera, and also what your fossil represents. I've been looking for an insect fossil in a nodule for over a a year now, and I've split nearly 12000 nodules in the process, with no success. That should give you an idea of how rare these guys are. Thanks for posting. Enjoy it! Edited January 21, 2013 by AgrilusHunter "They ... savoured the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than ordinary people, who were only ignorant of ordinary things." -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evannorton Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thank you so much for your thorough reply. I've cracked a number of nodules - but this one just happened to be laying in plain sight - when I was crossing a plowed road between two spoil deposits. The location contains a number of flora fossils - but other than a few fresh water clams - this is the first non-flora fossil from the site. I also found an interesting article on the subject of the evolution of cockroaches - thanks to your post. http://prizedwriting.ucdavis.edu/past/2004-2005/the-cockroach Thanks for taking the time to educate me - trust that it is very appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgrilusHunter Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Hi Evan, That is an epic term paper, no wonder it won such acclaim! Thanks for the link, I am enjoying it thoroughly. "They ... savoured the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than ordinary people, who were only ignorant of ordinary things." -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crinoid Queen Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 WOW that is amazing to just find that out in the open like that! I wanna go to mazon so bad! I fear I will never be able to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCFossils Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Great find! It is a beautiful specimen. It is easy to get frustrated collecting Mazon Creek fossils. It goes to show that persistance pays off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Nice catch! Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Evan, that is mighty nice! Congrats! Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evannorton Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thanks for the kind words...i will cherish this find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 One in a few thousand nodules I would imagine based on my experience... Nice find! Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmerlin Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 excellent I love this fossil great find !! "A man who stares at a rock must have a lot on his mind... or nothing at all' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glacialerratic Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 That's a beauty!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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