Fossil Amber Dipteran Swarm & Huge Spider

Without equivocation, this amber specimen has one of the most astonishing density of insect inclusions I have ever seen. First, I several times quit counting at more than 100 Dipterans (flies and gnats) -- many families, sizes and colors. And there is also plenty of insect Order diversity. There are 3 Alates (Order Isoptera), the winged, sexual form of the termite, one large one measuring 13 mm, and all with wings spread as if in flight. There is also a large click beetle (Coleoptera), 2 smaller cisid beetles, a small cacoon, wasp and 2 ants. If that weren’t enough there is a cluster of Bryophyte, a moss-like plant of ancient origin and a stem-leaf partial combo. Finally, the specimen contains one of the ugliest spiders I’ve seen in amber, a big mushy type, that similarly succumbed to an ancient rainforest tree’s protective resin system.