Cf Caloraphidia sp.
Order Raphidioptera, Allorhaphidiidae
Geological Time: Lower Cretaceous (~128 m.y.a.)
Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): 13 mm long, Matrix 42 mm by 35 mm
Fossil Site: Yixian Formation, Huangbangi Valley, Beipiao, Liaoning Province of China
Fossil Code: CFI20
Price: $175.00
 Description:
The Class Insecta is well represented in Liaoning and Hebei Provinces
of China, with over 500 species referable to over 100 families based
upon over 10,000 specimens. This fantastic diversity and exquisite
detail is unprecedented throughout the world. The exact age of the
Yixian Formation is still under debate, with some researchers favoring
the Early Cretaceous, some the Late Jurassic, and still others the
Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary. This example is a fine member of the
Raphidioptera, or Snakeflies. The snakeflies are one of the least
diverse lineages of insects, and are immediately recognizable owing
to the elongated prothorax (“snake neck’) and typical
wing venation so clearly seen here. The oldest doubtless snakeflies
are known from the early Jurassic, but since they have features in
common with the more modern types, it is thought the order extends
at least into the Triassic. This is the first example I have been
able to secure. |
