Museum quality fossils in amber for the professional collector
payment in £GBP by cheque, direct bank transfer (preferred for payments over £500), debit/credit card or by paypal to siri.press@live.co.uk
site last updated 18th October 2011
Contact email: siri.press@live.co.uk (or david.penney@manchester.ac.uk)
LATEST FOSSILS ADDED 15 OCTOBER 2011
PLEASE BOOKMARK AND REVISIT FREQUENTLY
On this page you will find superb and unique fossil amber inclusions for sale, primarily from Baltic and Dominican deposits. They are expensive, and while in some cases this may not be a reflection of the rarity of the inclusion sensu stricto, it results from the degree to which the specimens have been identified by an expert amber scientist and/or to some unique feature of the inclusion(s). Having said that however, and taking spiders as an example, the majority of spider inclusions in amber are juvenile and thus impossible to identify to species. Of the mature specimens that are found, many are not preserved sufficiently well or in the appropriate position to determine exactly which species they belong to. Each of the following specimens comes with its own story (see below) and a certificate of authenticity, neatly slotted into a white-based perspex display box with a transparent lid. Price includes delivery worldwide. The specimens will not be available until the associated 'buy it now' button appears on the page, although enquiries are welcome. Thank you for your interest in these beautiful and remarkable fossils. We have many others, if you don't see what you want, please email with your enquires.
A note on the rarity of spiders in amber
The frequency with which spiders in general occur as fossil inclusions in amber varies between deposits. For example, they represent approximately 2% of inclusions found in Dominican amber, whereas estimates for Baltic amber range from 4-6%. They are considerably less abundant in older, Cretaceous resins. However, some species are more common than others, as might be expected. Many species are known from only a single individual, thus making these fossils more scarce than vertebrates such as lizards and frogs!
SALE ITEMS - All fossils are in an amber coloured matrix, but some of the following photos were produced using filters to obtain the best possible contrast, which oftens makes the matrix appear bluish-green.
For cheaper, authentic amber fossils we are pleased to recommend Amberforeternity.
All their fossils have been identified and certified by us and come with one of our certificates (new fossils added 20 November 2010).
Fossil leafhoppe Xestocephalus sp. (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in Miocene (16 million-year-old) Dominican amber: price £200.00 (Wings spread showing the hindwing venation!) SOLD
Because correct species identification of this genus requires microscopic examination of the genitalia it is impossible to identify these fossils to species. However, based on the wing pattern it is possible that these fossils are more closely related to living species from Central and South America than they are to existing on-island (Hispaniola = Dominican Republic and Haiti) species. This specimen is figured in several published works.
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Stonefly unidentifable species (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £600.00 (a beautifully preserved specimen!) SOLD
Stoneflies are relatively rare in Baltic amber accounting for only 0.5-1% of all inclusions. It is usually impossible to identify amber stoneflies to genus because this requires examination of the epiproct at the tip of the abdomen which is usually not visible. Maybe the use of x-ray computed tomography imaging will overcome this problem in the future. This specimen is figured in several published works.
Mayfly unidentified specimen (Ephemeroptera: ?Leptophlebiidae) in Miocene (16 million-year-old) Dominican amber: price £1,750.00 (a super rare and beautifully preserved fossil with tails in tact)
Mayflies are super rare in Dominican amber. The first specimens were scientifically described in 2003. You are unlikely to see any specimens available on the market, so to find such as well preserved one as this is quite exceptional.
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Orb weaving spider Graea setosa (Araneae: Araneidae) in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £500.00 (a beautifully preserved male with a clear view of the genitalia required for species identification!)
Orb weaving spiders weave the vertical orb-web that typifies spiders to scientists and laypersons alike. This species was originally described by Alexander Petrunkevitch in 1942. This specimen is figured in several published works.
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Assassin spider Archaea paradoxa (Araneae: Archaeidae) in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £600.00 (a beautifully preserved male with a clear view of the genitalia!)
Assassin spiders are unique in that they were first identified from fossils in Baltic amber (by Koch and Berendt in 1854, who described this particular species) before being found in the extant fauna of Madagascar three decades later in 1881. This family provides an excellent example of a disjunct distribution between fossil species and their living relatives. The species that survive today are relicts of a formerly more widespread distribution. This specimen is figured in several published works.
Centipede Lithobius ?maxillosus (Chilopoda: Lithobiidae) in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £600.00 (a very nice example of a rare group in amber)
Centipedes are uncommon in amber, although their first descriptions date back to Koch and Berendt in 1854. The fossil offered most closely resembles the figure of Lithobius maxillosus in the aforementioned publication so possibly belongs in that species. This specimen is figured in several published works.
Fossil barklouse Psocidus sp. (Psocodea: Psocidae) in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £350.00 (a nice specimen clearly showing the wing venation) SOLD
Fossil barklice are common in amber and the specimen offered resembles Psocidus affinis described by Picted-Baraban and Hagen in 1856, although there are some differences suggesting it may represent a new species. This specimen is figured in several published works.
Incredible ?predatory insect larva (?Trichoptera: Hydrophilidae) in Miocene Dominican amber: price £35,000 (ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE!!)
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This remarkable specimen is quite exceptional and truly unique. It is a predatory insect larva encased in a bag of sand grains with remnants of its previous meals attached to the outside. These include a pseudoscorpion claw (top left), the head of an ant (next to the claw) and the carapace of a spider from the family Oonopidae (bottom). To which order of insects it belongs is currently an enigma. I have had various experts look at it and have been told it is not a Neuroptera nor a predatory Lepidoptera larva. Given the prey items attached it may have been terrestrial rather than aquatic. At present we think it may be Trichoptera: Hydrophilidae. If anybody knows what this might be I would be very grateful for your suggestions. This specimen is figured in several published works.
Please email david.penney@manchester.ac.uk
Rare Pirate Spider (family Mimetiidae) in Eocene Baltic amber: price £150.00
Pirate spiders are easily identified by their unique leg spine pattern on the first two pairs of legs, clearly visible in this fossil. They are specialist predators of other spiders. Several species occur in Baltic amber. The amber fossil species were revised by Harms and Dunlop (2009).
SOLD
Very rare geophilomorph centipede in Eocene Baltic amber: price £500.00 (These are a must for any complete amber collection) SOLD
These centipedes are longer and thinner than the more common lithobiid centipedes and live deeper within the soil, hence they are more rare as inclusions.
Extremely rare and unusual ant ?Dolichoderus (Hypoclinea) vexillarius (family Formicidae: Dolichoderinae) in Eocene Baltic amber: price £500.00 (I have seen many amber ants, but never like this one!) SOLDNote the exceptional sculpuring (pitting) of the head and thorax of this species described by Wheeler in 1915. This specimen is preserved in a large (8.1g) piece of amber 37 x 26 mm.
RARE flat-bellied ground spider (family Gnaphosidae) in Eocene Baltic amber: price £400.00 (a beautiful specimen showing the highly distinctive tubular spinneret arrangement) SOLD
Extant gnaphosids are a diverse family of free-living, nocturnal, ground hunting spiders. They are easily identified by having distinctly large and tubular spinnerets and they usually have eliptical middle eyes in the hind eye row.
Lizard in subRecent copal from Madagascar: price £5000.00 (to our knowledge this is the first lizard reported in copal from Madagascar!)This remarkable specimen is in a piece of copal 25 x 15 mm. The left side of the lizard is preserved, with claws visible on the hind leg. The head, tip of the tail and the right limbs are not preserved. The detail of the scaly skin is quite magnificent as clearly illustrated in the photograph. Whilst many amber collectors do not consider copal, they overlook its importance as a unique window to extinction in our lifetime. This specimen would make an important (and unique) addtion to any collection.
Caddisfly Lype sp. (Trichoptera: Psychomiidae) in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £450.00 (a beautiful specimen) SOLDAlthough caddisflies are more common in Baltic than in Dominican amber they still only occur at a frequency of around 2% of all inclusions. The female illustrated was figured in the book
Fossils in Amber by Penney and Green, 2011.
Winged ant swarm (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Miocene (16 million-year-old) Dominican amber: price £400.00 (a beautiful specimen of frozen behaviour!) SOLDAnts represent the most common inclusions in Dominican amber, which is a reflection of both the relatively young age of this amber and the dominance of ants in tropical ecosystems today. However, they are normally found as individuals rather than in swarms. As can be seen from the photos this is a particularly nice specimen.
Parasitic erythraeid mite attached to a dolichopodid fly in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £800.00 (a beautiful example of parasitism in the fossil record!) SOLDErythraeidae is a family of mites with free-living adults and parasitic larvae. They tend to be oval in shape and red in colour. They are densely covered in long hairs and have elongate legs adapted for running. The mite larvae bite a hole through the cuticle of the host using their chelicerae and feed via a straw-like stylostome on body fluids (haemolymph) and dissolved tissues. Extant species seem to prefer to attack highly sclerotized areas and avoid the softer intersegmental membranes. They remain attached to the host for up to eight days and once they have engorged themselves, with apparently no ill effects to the host, the six-legged larvae drop off and develop into free-living predators. .
Winged aphid Mindarus magnus (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea: Mindaridae) in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £450.00 (a beautiful specimen of a non-amber forest resident!) SOLDAlthough several species of
Mindarus have been described from Baltic amber, it has been suggested that these insects were not residents of the amber forest, but merely dispersive stages of insects that lived in proximate forest habitats. If they had been amber forest residents then they should be encountered more frequently than they are. This species was described by A.C. Baker in 1922.
Predatory fly Empis sp. male (Diptera: Empididae) with Cecidomyiidae prey in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £800.00 (a wonderful example of frozen behaviour!) SOLD
Empidids, often referred to as dagger flies as a result of their long, piercing proboscis, are a diverse family of mainly predatory flies that catch their prey (other insects) on the wing. They are major predators of mating swarms of male nonbiting midges. They are common as inclusions in amber but are not usually found with their prey, as in the beautifully preserved specimen shown below. This specimen is truly a magnificent example of palaeoethology (fossilized behaviour).
Fossil silverfish Lampropholis dubia (Thysanura: Lepismatidae) in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £500.00 (such fabulous preservation in highly unusual in silverfish fossils!) SOLDThis species Lampropholis dubia (Thysanura: Lepismatidae) was first described as Lepisma dubia by C.L. Koch and G.C. Berendt in 1854. The silverfish in Baltic amber were revised by F. Silvestri in 1913, who considered this species closely related to the extant Isolepisma. Silverfish are not particularly rare in amber, but it is highly unusual to find such extremely well preserved specimens, such as that offered here.
Fossil spider in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £350.00 SOLDMature male
Mizalia spirembolus (family Oecobiidae). This genus was first described by Koch & Berendt in 1854 from fossils in Baltic amber. Initially, it was attributed to the extant family Theridiidae. In 1870 Thorell erected the strictly fossil family Mizaliidae for this genus. The type specimen of the original species
M. rostrata has been lost. This genus is now placed in an extinct subfamily within the extant Oecobiidae. This species was described as new in 2004 by J. Wunderlich.
Armoured ant-eating spider with prey in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £750.00 (a highly unusual specimen!) SOLD
Spiders of the family Zodariidae are commonly called armoured ant-eating spiders because they often have a sclerotized scutum on top of their abdomen and because they are specialist predators of ants. They are also characterized by the configuration of their spinnerets. Most spiders have six, but in zodariids they are much reduced and situated prominently at the end of the abdomen. This mature male of the fossil species
Anniculus balticus described by A Petrunkevitch in 1942 clearly shows these characteristics (it has only two spinnerets) and is even preserved with what is most certainly its ant prey. There is also a beetle syninclusion in this remarkable and unusual piece that documents an interesting story of specialized spider-ant predation in the Eocene.
Super-rare parasitic chalcidoid wasp from the family Torymidae: price £1500 (a new species...you will not see this for sale anywhere else!)
Tiny parasitic chalcidoid wasps of the family Chalcididae are reasonably common in Dominican amber, but torymiids with their enlarged hind legs, which they use for holding onto their host during oviposition (egg laying) are extremely rare. This fabulous specimen belongs to the tribe Podagrionini and is closely related to the living genus Podagrion (but there appear to be some differences). However, it most probably represents a new species (none have been described from Dominican amber) and may even belong to a new fossil genus. This specimen is figured in the book Fossils in Amber by Penney & Green (2011).
Beautifully preserved Culex mosquito in Miocene Dominican amber: price £1500 (you will not see this for sale anywhere else!)This must be one of the best preserved mosquitos we have ever seen. The blood-sucking, piercing mouthparts are clearly visible.
Fabulous oribatid soil mite in Eocene Baltic amber: price £400 SOLDThis beautifully preserved oribatid soil mite species was originally descirbed as Neoliodes ensigerus by M. Sellnick in 1919, but subsequently transfered to Platyliodes ensigerus by M. Sellnick in 1931. This species placement is still considered correct as noted in a study of fossil oribatid mites by M. Heethoff in 2009. This species represents approximately 9% of the Baltic amber mite fauna.
Fossil spider in Miocene (16 million-year-old) Dominican amber: price £300.00 SOLDMature male Dipoenata stipes (family Theridiidae). This species was originally described by J Wunderlich in 1988, along with five similar species. In addition to the extinct species in Dominican amber, there are seven extant members in this genus distributed in the neotropics and the Canary Islands.
Beautiful, rare Lophoturus polyxenid millipedes (two specimens in the same piece!), with a woodlouse and mature male pholcid spider: price £5,500 (an exceptional assemblage!)
All these inclusions are rare in Dominican amber, but to find them preserved together in the same piece is quite exceptional...especially two polyxenid millipedes together! Although previously known from Dominican amber, no polyxenids have been formally described, so they probably represent a new species. They belong in the genus
Lophoturus (family Lophoproctidae), although these fossils have previously been assigned to the genus
Lophoproctus. The spider is a mature male
Pholcophora brevipes (daddy-long-legs spider, family Pholcidae), described by J Wunderlich in 1988. The woodlouse is clearly visible in ventral view. The piece also contains a fabulously preserved Diptera, a partial Diptera and an unusual larval form. Thus, the specimen contains four different arthropod classes: Myriapoda, Arachnida, Crustacea and Insecta.
This specimen is figured in the book Fossils in Amber by Penney & Green (2011).
Beautiful parasitic braconid wasp in Eocene Baltic amber: £650 (a remarkably well preserved specimen) SOLD
This is a fabulous example of the parasitic braconid wasp
Microtypus terebrator (family Braconidae) described by CT Brues in 1932. Braconid wasps are parasitic on insects of practically every systematic group, but the larvae of Lepidoptera seem to be preferred. Eggs are layed directly on (or inside) the host using the long ovipositor clearly visible in this remarkable fossil.
Super rare stick insect (phasmida) in Miocene Dominican amber: price £5,500 (so rare you just don't see these for sale!)
No phasmids have been officially described from Dominican amber, so this probably represents a new species. They are extremely rare and because of their long-bodied and long-legged nature are rarely encountered as complete specimens. The specimen here is missing the abdomen, but the head, thorax and anterior legs are visible.
This specimen is figured in the book Fossils in Amber by Penney & Green (2011).
THREE fabulous woodlice Pseudarmadillo cristatus (Isopoda: Pseudarmadillidae) in Miocene Dominican amber: price £1,250 (unusually well preserved and three specimens in the same piece!) SOLD
Woodlice tend to be rare in amber and when they are found they are often poorly preserved because when entrapped in resin the calcium rich cuticle does not undergo the same organic tanning as that of insects. The calcite is usually affected by the acids in the fresh resin and this usually distorts the cuticle quite drastically. Not so in these fabulous specimens (three in the same stone!) of Pseudarmadillo cristatus which was described as a new species by H Schmalfuss in 1984.
Spider with AMAZING PEDIPALPS in Eocene (44-49 million-year-old) Baltic amber: price £500.00 (a highly unusual spider identified by a world expert!) SOLDMature male spiders have their pedipalps modified as secondary sexual organs. These modifications are highly variable and are always species specific. This fossil spider
Mastigusa bitterfeldensis (family Dictynidae) was described by J Wunderlich in 2004 and represents an excellent example of extreme pedipalp modification. The detail of these structures in the fossil is quite exceptional.
Super rare mayfly in Miocene (16 million-year-old) Dominican amber: price £3,000.00 NOT CURRENTLY FOR SALE
(you will be hard pushed to find a mayfly of this quality for sale anywhere else!)Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) are super rare in Dominican amber, with only four known species, all described in 2003. This may be because they spend their early stages as aquatic larvae and the winged adult lives only for a matter of days. Thus, the presence of mayflies as fossils is indicative of freshwater environments within the amber forest. This mature male specimen belongs to the species
Borinquena parva (family Leptophlebiidae), recorded in the literature from only a single specimen, and is preserved with many insect syninclusions. This adult (imago) is only the second known specimen of this species and is more completely preserved than the holotype, including with intact tales!
This specimen is figured in the book Fossils in Amber by Penney & Green (2011).