Scarodactyl Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Hello everyone. My main area of focus is gems, but sometimes I run into fossil material, and this was one I was hoping I could ask about. I bought a sack of dark Indonesian amber a couple of years back, and after slicing and polishing a few I came across this. It appears to be part of an insect, though badly beat up. I'd have concluded it was just suggestively-shaped vegetable matter if it weren't for the 'leg', but it looks fairly leggy to me? I know this is a lot to ask from a tiny bit of data, but is it possible this is an insect, or am I reading too much into a bit of twig? And if an insect, can they be identified from fingerprints? Unfortunately this material rarely comes with a very specific locale attached. If I remember right Indonesian amber in general is miocene with a wide range of ages. Field of view ~4mm Field of view ~2mm I'd have preferred oblique lighting but the green fluorescence of the amber hides the inclusions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
izak_ Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 I agree that it is an insect. I doubt that you could ID it beyond that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Seems to have too many joints to be an insect leg. Amber is such beautiful stuff . Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Definitely an insect leg. Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 33 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Seems to have too many joints to be an insect leg. Amber is such beautiful stuff . Good point. Bryophyte ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 15 minutes ago, Rockwood said: Good point. Bryophyte ? Maybe. But I might be wrong about the leg bit. I can get the bit about the tarsal segments and the claws, but the leg seems very much too jointed further back. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 12 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said: but the leg seems very much too jointed further back. Jointed or bent ? I probably have to give up on more bryophyte segments in any case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarodactyl Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 Thanks everyone! Yeah, the extra jointing or bending seemed like a concern, though it's difficult to resolve the shape with exactness. The end sure looks like it has those nice tarsal claws though. I suppose the best solution is to get back to the amber and find one that's more intact. If I do I'll post it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now