AMBER
Specimen amb-37
$ 90.00Dims: 1.2 x 1.1 x 0.6" (3.0 x 2.8 x 1.5 cm)
Wt: 7.2 g
Yantavi Mine, Kalilingrad, Baltic area, Russia
This small polished Baltic Amber piece has some rather large internal fractures within. However, only one of the four insects trapped inside are difficult to see because of it. The most noticeable of the four is a small fly that is extremely well-preserved. Under 10-power magnification, one can easily see the veins in its wings and the knobby sections of its antennae. Less than 1 cm away rests an ant that also shows some detail, though not as much as the fly. The last two insects are more or less entangled and are just under 1 cm away from the fly. At least one appears to also be some type of winged insect, but it is very odd- examination with a 10-power loupe shows that its antennae appear to be "fuzzy", like those of a moth! I do not believe that it is a moth, though, as its body is not nearly stocky enough, and it does not have large, opaque wings. I am pretty certain that it is some type of wasp or carnivorous fly that was trapped as it caught and dined on a smaller insect, and then a fungus started to attack its head, making it appear "hairy".