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New FAMILY discovered


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This is a huge announcement I have to make. It has been under wraps for quite a few months now and some of you may recall my damselfly find from the July 2017 Fossil of the Month contest.

Well a HUGE thanks is in order for @oilshale for pointing me in the direction of one of his friends to help identify this beautiful specimen.

 

Turns out this is not just a new species, or even genus, but an entirely new FAMILY that will soon be published!!!

 

This damselfly will be labeled as the type specimen (Holotype) for the Family, Genus, AND Species.

 

I donated this beautiful bug to my friends over at Fossil Butte National Monument where staff has been working to catalogue and name many of their unidentified insect specimens. This Damselfly will be a great addition for them as they build a new exhibit focused on insects of the Green River in the next year or so.

 

This bug was a very special find for me, and knowing that it was going to be the type specimen adds even more to it.

I haven't been able to post this in part because it was meant as a Christmas present for my wife. She was speechless to find out that the species will be named after her. 

I have no idea how I will ever up myself from this, but here's to trying.

 

This has definitely been a highlight in my fossil career and I can't imagine ever finding another type specimen. I am happy to know that you all will share in my excitement and when the paper is finally published I will make sure to share it here as well! 

 

Attached is a copy of the letter from Fossil Butte National Monument, edited of course, and if you read it you will see why!

 

damselfly_edited.thumb.png.bd2321847c7d46de2e2ab28190dfc79b.png

 

 

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That is amazing, Blake! Way to go!! :yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1:

 

And what a fantastic present and honour for your missus.

 

You've kicked off 2018 with a big bang, and this is an inspiration for all of us who split rock in the field. And perhaps you shouldn't worry about topping this amazing contribution to paleontology, for it may be like winning prizes where when you win one, your chances of winning again just go up! 

 

Chapeau, sir!

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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Awesome, Blake. :1-SlapHands_zpsbb015b76:

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Awesome Blake. I am very happy for you.

Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt
behind the trailer, my desert
Them red clay piles are heaven on earth
I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt

Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers

 

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Geepers, is that all it was, I was hoping for some exciting news. 

Wow, really proud of you Blake. Now keep it in a drawer and don't let anybody see it.

You must be one proud papa!

Congratulations!!!

 

 

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Outstanding, wow that is super, congratulations, really special.   Your wife must be thrilled, what a treat.  :dinothumb:

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:yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1:

WOW! Congratulations! A new species is exciting enough, but a new family is astonishing! I wonder when the last time was that a new family was discovered? :envy:

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That is amazing and so sweet to name it after your wife, she’s a lucky lady! Congrats on the wonderful news!

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Wow!! That is too cool! Congratulations, Blake, and Thank You. 

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Congrats Blake! :yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1:

Pretty awesome that you single-handily made the revealing of an entire FAMILY of animals possible.

I really wonder how much of a heart attack your wife got when you told her that they were gonna name the species after her... 

If you're a fossil nut from Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, or Torrance, feel free to shoot me a PM!

 

 

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32 minutes ago, FossilDudeCO said:

I haven't been able to post this in part because it was meant as a Christmas present for my wife. She was speechless to find out that the species will be named after her. 

I have no idea how I will ever up myself from this, but here's to trying.

I've been working for decades to try to lower the bar with my wife, better half, and collecting partner (all one and the same). Much easier to top yourself if you set the bar a 'limbo height'. ;)

 

Congrats on the find, the donation, and the accolades!  :yay-smiley-1:

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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Congratulations, Blake! Well Done, sir!  :D 

    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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Hi,

 

Whouah ! What a magnificent way of beginning the year !

 

Already to find a new species would return any happy fossil hunter, a new genus would transport every paleontologist in a hallucinating journey, but a new family ! It is beyond my imagination !

 

All my congrats Blake ! :raindance:

 

Can't wait to read the paper ! :popcorn:

 

Coco

 

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What a great find Blake! Thumbs up to you and your contribution to science!:dinothumb:

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Being a fish guy my first response to the find was "Eh, its a pretty nice bug."

But the more I have learned about these guys the more I am coming to love them! 

 

I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would find such a fantastic and scientifically important fossil.

 

I can't wait for the 2018 digging year to commence!

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Fantasic, Blake! We are all so happy for you. That awesome damselfly has a lot of proud uncles and aunts on this forum.   :tff:

Happy new year indeed!  :crab:

 

Start the day with a smile and get it over with.

 

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Holy smokes, Blake! That is spectacular! Very Happy New Year, indeed. :) Let us as soon as it is published.

 
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Wow Blake, this is an extraordinary find!!! My most sincerest congratulations!!! You must feel incredibly proud and happy to have made such an addition to science.:yay-smiley-1:

 

By the way, is this (part of) the reason why you have been absent from the forum recently, or is it because of something else? Because I (and other people) sure missed you a lot!

 

Max

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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20 minutes ago, Max-fossils said:

By the way, is this (part of) the reason why you have been absent from the forum recently, or is it because of something else? Because I (and other people) sure missed you a lot

;)

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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A very Happy New year! 

Congratulations, that is the sort of present we all dream of. 

And our wives, too. 

Magnificent! 

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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