In Depth First discussed by Grimaldi et al in 2002 and again by Grimaldi and Engel in 2005, this little wasp preserved in amber was finally given its own genus in 2006. The holotype specimen (AMNH Bu-051) is the exoskeleton of a female wasp encased in amber, and is preserved well enough to identify it … Read more
In Depth Tainosia is a genus of planthopper that lived in the Dominican Republic during the Miocene. Plant hoppers are small insects that resemble leaves and thorns that are known to ‘hop’ by jumping from one plant to the next. Further Reading - Tainosia quisqueyae gen. and sp. nov. from the Oligocene/Miocene Dominican amber (Hemiptera: … Read more
In Depth Eriocampa is a genus of sawfly that is still alive today, but is also known from several extinct species that seem to have been common in North America during the Eocene, though one species, E. oligocenica, is recorded as being alive during the Oligocene of France. At the time of writing there are … Read more
In Depth Initially described as a species of Inocellia, Electrinocellia is a genus of snakefly that lived in Russia during the Eocene. Further Reading - A New Fossil Snake-Fly Species from Baltic Amber (Raphidioptera: Inocelliidae). - Psyche 102:187-193. - M. S. Engel - 1995.
In Depth Parastylotermes is a genus of termite that is known to have lived in both Eurasia and North America. So far, Eurasian species of Parastylotermes are known to have lived during the Eocene period, while the North American examples are from the later Miocene period. Specimens of Parastylotermes are so far from imago stage … Read more
In Depth Dominickus is a genus of butterfly moth that lived in the western USA during the late Eocene. Further Reading - A butterfly-moth (Lepidoptera Castniidae) from the Oligocene shales of Florissant, Colorado. - Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 24(1):31-40. - N. B. Tindale - 1985.
In Depth Palaeovespa is a genus of wasp that lived at least from the end of the Paleocene to the end of the Eocene. Palaeovespa is noted for its similarity to the modern day genus Vespa, hence the name Palaeovespa which means ‘old Vespa’. However the wing structure of Palaeovespa leaves no doubt that it … Read more
In Depth Pseudosiobla is a genus of extinct sawfly that lived in North America during the Eocene. Further Reading - Some fossil arthropods from Florissant, Colorado. - Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 23:605-616. - T. D. A. Cockerell - 1907. - New Phytophagous Hymenoptera from the Tertiary of Florissant, Colorado. - Bulletin … Read more
In Depth Further Reading - Revision of fossil species of Dryinus belonging to lamellatus group, with description of a new species (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) 130: 505–514. - Massimo Olmi & Adalgisa Guglielmino - 2011.
In Depth Baltimartyria is a genus of moth that lived in Russia during the Eocene. Further Reading - Study on the Lepidoptera from fossil resins. Part XI. Baltimartyria, a new genus for Micropteryx proavittella Rebel, 1936, with redescription of this species (Lepidoptera, Zeugloptera, Micropterigidae). - Amber & Fossils 1:26-37. - A. W. Skalski - 1995. … Read more