Amber-fossil
Guides
Allodia
Allodia is a genus of fungus gnats in the family Mycetophilidae, established by Winnertz in 1863. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution but is predominantly Palearctic, with recent discoveries expanding its known range in the Afrotropical region. Species within Allodia are divided between two subgenera: Allodia stricto sensu and Brachycampta. Afrotropical species show recent diversification with a single origin, as supported by DNA barcoding studies.
Bocchus
pincer wasps
Bocchus is a genus of pincer wasps in the family Dryinidae, subfamily Bocchinae. These are parasitoid wasps characterized by their distinctive chelate (pincer-like) forelegs used to capture hosts. The genus includes both extant species and fossil species preserved in Eocene amber. Extant species are known from Europe and associated with planthopper hosts (Hemiptera: Caliscelidae).
Clavigeritae
Clavigeritae is a supertribe of minute rove beetles (Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) comprising approximately 370 described species. These beetles are obligate myrmecophiles, living socially parasitic lives within ant colonies. The group exhibits extreme morphological specialization for this lifestyle, including body segment fusions and unique glandular structures. The 52-million-year-old fossil Protoclaviger trichodens from India represents the oldest known myrmecophilous beetle and reveals transitional features between ancestral and modern forms.
Embolemus
Embolemus is a genus of small parasitoid wasps in the family Embolemidae, first described by Westwood in 1833. The genus contains approximately 32 extant species and numerous fossil species preserved in amber deposits from the Cretaceous and Eocene periods. Taxonomic debate persists regarding the status of Ampulicomorpha, which most authorities now treat as a junior synonym of Embolemus. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with records from Europe, Asia, and other regions.
Evaniidae
ensign wasps, nightshade wasps, hatchet wasps, cockroach egg parasitoid wasps
Evaniidae is a family of solitary parasitoid wasps commonly known as ensign wasps, nightshade wasps, or hatchet wasps. The family comprises approximately 20 extant genera containing over 400 described species, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution excluding polar regions. Evaniidae are immediately distinctive among Hymenoptera due to their unique morphology: the metasoma (abdomen) is attached very high on the propodeum, well above the hind coxae, and is connected by a long, one-segmented, tube-like petiole. The common name "ensign wasp" derives from the characteristic habit of these wasps to jerk their small, flag-like metasoma up and down while walking. All known evaniid larvae are specialized parasitoids that develop inside the egg cases (oothecae) of cockroaches (Blattodea), consuming the host eggs.
Jacobsoniidae
Jacobson's beetles
Jacobsoniidae is a small family of minute beetles within the superfamily Staphylinoidea, comprising three extant genera (Derolathrus, Sarothrias, Saphophagus) and approximately 28 described species. Adults and larvae inhabit cryptic microhabitats including leaf litter, rotting wood, fungal fruiting bodies, bat guano, and caves. The family exhibits remarkable morphological stasis since the Cretaceous, with fossil records from Cretaceous amber of Myanmar and France, Eocene Baltic amber, and Holocene copal. Members are among the smallest beetles, measuring 0.7–2.1 mm, and are exceptionally rare in collections.
Lepidotrichidae
Lepidotrichidae is a family of basal insects in the order Zygentoma. The family contains the extinct genus Lepidotrix, known from Eocene Baltic amber. The extant genus Tricholepidion, containing a single species from western North America, has traditionally been included here but recent research suggests it belongs to its own family, Tricholepidiidae.
Polyxenida
bristle millipedes, bristly millipedes, pincushion millipedes
Polyxenida is an order of millipedes distinguished by a soft, non-calcified exoskeleton covered in distinctive tufts of bristles. They are the only living members of the subclass Penicillata, which represents the most basal lineage of living millipedes. This order comprises approximately 148 species across four families worldwide. Polyxenida exhibit several unique derived traits including indirect sperm transfer via spermatophores deposited in webs, and a mechanical defense using detachable barbed bristles rather than chemical defenses.
Pseudogarypus
Pseudogarypus is a genus of pseudoscorpions in the family Pseudogarypidae, first described by Ellingsen in 1909. The genus includes both extant and extinct species, with at least four species known from Eocene fossils preserved in Baltic amber. Members of this genus are distinguished by distinctive morphological features including horn-like protrusions on the thorax and elongated chelae. The extinct species P. synchrotron was described in 2011 using synchrotron imaging to reveal details obscured by amber inclusions.
Pseudoscorpiones
pseudoscorpions, false scorpions, book scorpions
Pseudoscorpions are tiny arachnids, most under 5 mm in length, superficially resembling scorpions but lacking a stinger and elongated tail. They are among the oldest terrestrial colonizers, with fossils dating to the Middle Devonian (ca. 390 million years ago). Despite their ancient lineage, they exhibit remarkable morphological stasis, with even Devonian fossils appearing modern. Most species inhabit concealed microhabitats such as beneath bark, in leaf litter, soil, caves, or mammal nests, making them seldom encountered despite being fairly common. They are predatory, seizing small invertebrate prey with venomous pincer-like pedipalps.
Rhopalosoma
cricket parasitoid wasps
Rhopalosoma is a genus of aculeate wasps in the family Rhopalosomatidae, comprising 18 described species distributed primarily in the Neotropics and southern Nearctic. Larvae develop as ectoparasitoids of crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae, Trigonidiidae), attaching externally to host nymphs or adults. Adults are rarely encountered in the field and are among the least known of all parasitoid wasps. Genetic studies indicate the presence of cryptic species diversity, with at least two genetically distinct lineages present in America north of Mexico.