Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Fossil nematoceran to ID

Posted by Peter Macdonald on 03-10-2009 21:11
#2

Rui,

I will let those who are more knowledgeable to try to put a family to your fly. But, we can think a little about the provenance of this.

The vast majority (99%+) of amber inclusions in commerce come from one of two sources. These are the Baltic and the Dominican Republic. The Baltic specimes are most probably Eocene, but that is not a universally accepted age. The problem is that the amber is not in its original deposits. Most is found washed up on beaches after storms. The bits that are found in situ are found in younger sediments, where they were washed from thier original deposits many millions of years ago.

The Dominican specimens are somewhat younger. They are Oligocene to Miocene in age.

A large percentage of the pieces of Baltic amber have small stellate plant hairs, from the male flowers of an oak (Quercus). These are usually a bit under one milimetre accross. So, if there is a stellate hair,it is from te Baltis. If there is not a stallate haor, it may be from either deposit.

Peter