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Insect Wings From St. Clair!


Shamalama

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While going through some of the stuff I found at St. Clair last week, I came across a couple of pieces I picked up thinking they were large Neuropteris leaves. A closer look revealed a different kind of veination more akin to an insect wing than a leaf. I am flat out flabbergasted! I'd heard of insects being found in Carboniferous strata but never expected to find some myself. I could be wrong (just read through some of my arguments with Solius :P ) but I think my instinct is correct.

Positive and Negative of wing

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Closer view of the second pic

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-Dave

__________________________________________________

Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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That is probably the coolest thing Ive seen on here in a while. :drool: Congrats on the find you lucky dog!

In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat: but in the evolution of real knowledge, it marks the first step in progress toward victory.

Alfred North Whithead

'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia!'

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If you want something named after you, donate that to a museum. When I found a Pennsylvanian wing similar to yours, I was told they are so rare that they are almost always a new species. The one I found was!

Cool find!!!!

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Nice wing. Bet your wanting to go back and see if you can find the rest of the critter... ;)

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Be true to the reality you create.

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Maybe your wings fell off this little guy!

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;)

Palaeodictyopterida from Mazon Creek, pit 11. about 2.5 inches long

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I'm not sure what they fell off of, but they sure are neat! I looked all through my pieces to see if any others were found. I'm a little surprised there isn't some part of the body preserved too. Maybe something caught the bug and ate the body but the wings fell off during consumption.

Xiphactinus: That is not a bad idea about donating to a museum. :) I will have to think about that.

Nicholas: the wing has a length of 38mm and is 10mm at the widest point narrowing down to 3.5mm.

Thanks for the comments guys, I still can't believe that I found them. B)

-Dave

__________________________________________________

Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Whatever it is, it sure makes for an interesting fossil. Maybe this website can help: http://www.windsofkansas.com/fossil_insects.html

Wow, neat site! I can see that the wing drawings they have look very similar to what I found so maybe it's from a dragonfly. the more I look at it I think I see a couple of pieces of other wings nearby.

-Dave

__________________________________________________

Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Wow, neat site! I can see that the wing drawings they have look very similar to what I found so maybe it's from a dragonfly. the more I look at it I think I see a couple of pieces of other wings nearby.

Not technically a dragonfly. look at Paleodictyoptera and Megasecoptera. they are both carboniferous winged insect groups. i found a complete megasecopteran from a very old strata, late mississippian. after a few years of research i believe it to be the oldest wings found to date. it is very likely there are older ones because they are fairly complex veination with many cross veins.

either way very cool find. i would love to hear what you do with it and where it end up.

Brock

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I'm not sure what they fell off of, but they sure are neat! I looked all through my pieces to see if any others were found. I'm a little surprised there isn't some part of the body preserved too. Maybe something caught the bug and ate the body but the wings fell off during consumption.

Xiphactinus: That is not a bad idea about donating to a museum. :) I will have to think about that.

Nicholas: the wing has a length of 38mm and is 10mm at the widest point narrowing down to 3.5mm.

Thanks for the comments guys, I still can't believe that I found them. B)

The wing I found is briefly mentioned at the bottom of this page:

http://www.windsofkansas.com/other_beds.ht...(Pennsylvanian)

It's now in the collections of the Univ of Kansas.

I got to correspond with Frank Carpenter of Harvard, the fossil insect guy of the world before he passed. Kind of cool to know he described the fossil I found and named it after me.

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The wing I found is briefly mentioned at the bottom of this page:

http://www.windsofkansas.com/other_beds.ht...(Pennsylvanian)

It's now in the collections of the Univ of Kansas.

I got to correspond with Frank Carpenter of Harvard, the fossil insect guy of the world before he passed. Kind of cool to know he described the fossil I found and named it after me.

That's very cool! Congratulations!

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The wing I found is briefly mentioned at the bottom of this page:

http://www.windsofkansas.com/other_beds.ht...(Pennsylvanian)

It's now in the collections of the Univ of Kansas.

I got to correspond with Frank Carpenter of Harvard, the fossil insect guy of the world before he passed. Kind of cool to know he described the fossil I found and named it after me.

Very cool indeed!

-Dave

__________________________________________________

Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Beautiful fossils........ have you noticed any other 'critter' material contained within the shales?

Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... :)

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Guest N.AL.hunter

Really nice finds!

Remember it isn't classy to name something after yourself, so if you have found something new, I will not object to it being named after me :)

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Hey, is that a leg right at the base of the wing? You could name it the Shamalama Wing Wong.

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Jonny: I am not sure if it's a carbonized leg, I didn't want to say it was and be wrong.

Kurtdog: It's preserved in a fine grained, black shale that splits pretty easily.

-Dave

__________________________________________________

Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Jonny: I am not sure if it's a carbonized leg, I didn't want to say it was and be wrong.

Kurtdog: It's preserved in a fine grained, black shale that splits pretty easily.

Very cool stuff Shamalama!

Kevin Wilson

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It's a very good and an important find,compliments Shamalama! if you have find these,is probabe that they are again in the same section of the layers,try again in the same position,I hope for you for a big luck ;)

Cheers,

->>>>> :)<

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Shamalama's got a hot rockhammer!!!

Congratulations X10!!!

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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