Lacewing Insect Fossil from Yixian Formation

Yixian Formation in Liaoning Province in northeast China has remained one of the hottest paleontology study sites on earth the past two decades, and is perhaps most famous for discoveries of feathered dinosaurs. From feathered dinosaurs to birds to reptiles with color patterns, the fine lake silts of Liaoning often preserved the most intricate details of life from more than 100 million years ago. Relatively harder to preserve insects are well represented in the diverse Liaoning biota.

Neuroptera roughly trancelates as "net winged insect", because of transparent wings with fine venation. In fact, they have four such wings. They first appear in the first Permian fossil record, and like most insects, continued to diversify throughout the Mesozoic, with some relatively large forms appearing. Interestingly, they are most closely related to beetles (Coleopterans).