Neuroptera ‘Lacewing’ fly fossils from Brazil

Neuroptera 'Lacewing' fly fossils from Brazil

These specimens are Neuroptera 'Lacewing' flies, from the Cretaceous period. They were found in the Crato Formation of Brazil.

While we have probably all seen a fly or an insect trapped in Amber or Copal, these fossils are far less common. They are the genuine remains of insects turned to stone.

Soft tissues generally do not fossilise - it is usually the hard bones, teeth, etc that tend to fossilise. For these soft tissues to fossilise, very specific events must have taken place - in all likelihood covered by a very fine silty mud soon after death, or as a cause of death, before being covered in layers of sediment.

Our current stock includes:

• #1 - 98x96x11.5MM - a clipped square of stone with an outstretched fly - good detail!