Mosquito - Culex erikae (1)
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ITEM# AMBER-Lithuania-0001
$250.00
$250.00
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Eocene - 44 Mya
Lithuania
ITEM# AMBER-Lithuania-0001
This is an excellent example of the mosquito Culex erikae from the Eocene of Lithuania. Culex erikae is a member of the Order Diptera, Family Culicadae.
The Culicadae are a member of the blood sucking gnats and are very rare in Baltic amber. The Culicadae are a family of nemocerous flies, and in the extant world, over 2900 species are known which are frequent parasites of mammals and birds, as females feed on their blood. Mosquito larvae and pupae inhabit exclusively shallow, stagnant waters. Despite the fact that the phylogenetic history of mosquitoes go back to the Mesozoic Era, they are seldomly preserved in the fossil record. The oldest true mosquito is known from the Upper Cretaceous of Canada. Mosquitoes are very rare in the Baltic amber, but are more common in the younger Dominican amber.
The species is very close to the extant Culex pipiens. This is the first named mosquito species known from the Baltic amber.
It was thought since the 1850s that the resin that became Baltic amber was produced by the tree Pinites succinifer, but research in the 1980s came to the conclusion that the resin originates from several species. More recently it has been proposed, using Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of amber and resin from living trees, that conifers of the family Sciadopityaceae were responsible. The only extant representative of this family is the Japanese umbrella pine, Sciadopitys verticillata.
Numerous extinct genera and species of plants and animals have been discovered and scientifically described from inclusions in Baltic amber. Baltic amber includes the most species-rich fossil insect fauna discovered to date.
This large amber nugget measures approximately 2 inches by 1 1/2 inches, with the mosquito measuring approximately 3/16-inch long from head to end of wing, with legs being significantly longer. Sorry for the photographs, I hope to update with some better closeup photographs in near future. This is a very nicely-preserved mosquito, and is clearly visible in the large amber piece.
Lithuania
ITEM# AMBER-Lithuania-0001
This is an excellent example of the mosquito Culex erikae from the Eocene of Lithuania. Culex erikae is a member of the Order Diptera, Family Culicadae.
The Culicadae are a member of the blood sucking gnats and are very rare in Baltic amber. The Culicadae are a family of nemocerous flies, and in the extant world, over 2900 species are known which are frequent parasites of mammals and birds, as females feed on their blood. Mosquito larvae and pupae inhabit exclusively shallow, stagnant waters. Despite the fact that the phylogenetic history of mosquitoes go back to the Mesozoic Era, they are seldomly preserved in the fossil record. The oldest true mosquito is known from the Upper Cretaceous of Canada. Mosquitoes are very rare in the Baltic amber, but are more common in the younger Dominican amber.
The species is very close to the extant Culex pipiens. This is the first named mosquito species known from the Baltic amber.
It was thought since the 1850s that the resin that became Baltic amber was produced by the tree Pinites succinifer, but research in the 1980s came to the conclusion that the resin originates from several species. More recently it has been proposed, using Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of amber and resin from living trees, that conifers of the family Sciadopityaceae were responsible. The only extant representative of this family is the Japanese umbrella pine, Sciadopitys verticillata.
Numerous extinct genera and species of plants and animals have been discovered and scientifically described from inclusions in Baltic amber. Baltic amber includes the most species-rich fossil insect fauna discovered to date.
This large amber nugget measures approximately 2 inches by 1 1/2 inches, with the mosquito measuring approximately 3/16-inch long from head to end of wing, with legs being significantly longer. Sorry for the photographs, I hope to update with some better closeup photographs in near future. This is a very nicely-preserved mosquito, and is clearly visible in the large amber piece.