Biotalker Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Here is my recent acquisition from Inner Mongolia of China in the Jiulongshan formation, more commonly and famously known as Daohugou, which dates to middle Jurassic around 165 mya. The part and counterpart partial insect fossil appears to be a neuropteran, perhaps related to the family of Grammolingiidae (a group of lacewings that include “Jurassic butterflies”, so named on account of their huge spotted wings). Only one of the wings and a small part of another were found in the fossil. The wing, however, is slightly more than two inches (5cm) long. The head and thorax but not the abdomen are intact. I am sharing these images because I think the fossilization is remarkable. Dense tissue like the head and thorax are harder to interpret than the thin wing. But wow, the details that can be seen under the scope are amazing! No ambiguity as we sometimes see with dragonfly fossils! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotalker Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 Not only wing veination but smaller details like perforations throughout that presumably housed sensory hairs. Or preserved pigmentation and clear ovals in the wing that or may not be part of the insect’s wing anatomy. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joaoarguello3 Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 The preservation of such fine details, especially on the wings, is simply extraordinary. Congratulations beautiful piece without a doubt. I have a question. Do you use any macro or microscope photography technique for the images? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotalker Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 On 3/19/2023 at 11:46 AM, joaoarguello3 said: Do you use any macro or microscope photography technique for the images? For these pictures, I held my cellphone up to the eyepiece of my dissecting (stereoscopic) microscope, then cropped the images. So, low tech. Works best with flat subjects. Slowly approaching macro with image stacking for things like amber, but not there yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocket Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 (edited) what a fantastic wing preservation, wonderful and real I remember your post about the fakes (Fake Cretaceous Insect Fossils from China are now on sale at a show near you - Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications - The Fossil Forum), so its always necessary to have a very close look on the wings and the body but yours is great!!! Edited March 21, 2023 by rocket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mart1980 Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 Wow, the fossilization looks amazing. A nice example of what a real one should look like. Simply impossible to imitate, such beautiful details! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opabinia Blues Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 Incredible! “The worse the country, the more tortured it is by water and wind, the more broken and carved, the more it attracts fossil hunters, who depend on the planet to open itself to us. We can only scratch away at what natural forced have brought to the surface.” - Jack Horner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotalker Posted March 28, 2023 Author Share Posted March 28, 2023 Well, one good partial neuroptera wing deserves another! Here 65 million years later and a good deal further south in Burma is a burmite wing I acquired that demonstrates similar geometry in the wing border venation as well as interesting pigmentation (including the dark circles). This wing's owner might also belong to the same family. Complete specimens with large ornate wings are very rare and highly coveted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted March 28, 2023 Share Posted March 28, 2023 Amazing and beautiful! Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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