Skip to main content
    • by 
    •   8  
      Evolutionary BiologyBiogeographyEvolutionary EcologyPaleoentomology
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and... more
    • by 
    •   12  
      ScienceMultidisciplinaryDominican RepublicAmber
For nearly 100 million years, the India subcontinent drifted from Gondwana until its collision with Asia some 50 Ma, during which time the landmass presumably evolved a highly endemic biota. Recent excavations of rich outcrops of... more
    • by 
    •   9  
      Evolutionary BiologySocial insectsBiogeographyEvolutionary Ecology
The occurrence of amber in Sierra de Cantabria (Álava, Basque Country) has been known for more than two decades but biological inclusions have only recently been found. The existence of crustaceans (amphipods and isopods), chelicerates... more
    • by  and +1
    •   10  
      Evolutionary BiologyGeologyGeochemistryPaleontology
Apparently ancient DNA has been reported from amber-preserved insects many millions of years old. Rigorous attempts to reproduce these DNA sequences from amber-and copal-preserved bees and flies have failed to detect any authentic ancient... more
    • by 
    •   11  
      DNA replicationAmberBiological SciencesDNA
The identification of archaeological amber has been used in Iberian prehistory to evidence long-distance exchanges and engage Iberia in networks that connect western Europe with central and northern Europe, the emergence of social... more
    • by  and +7
    •   3  
      ArchaeometryIberian Prehistory (Archaeology)Amber
Studies continue to report ancient DNA sequences and viable microbial cells that are many millions of years old. In this paper we evaluate some of the most extravagant claims of geologically ancient DNA. We conclude that although... more
    • by 
    •   10  
      MicrobiologyArchaeologyPaleontologyMedical Microbiology
We describe a diverse taphocoenosis in a piece of Mexican amber that includes two morphotypes assignable to the leafy liverwort family Lejeuneaceae, an angiosperm seed, a putative bud scale, dematiaceous hyphomycetes as well as dipteran... more
    • by  and +1
    •   5  
      AmberLiverwortsFossil ResinsLiverwort Taxonomy and Systematics
    • by 
    •   7  
      Collections ManagementBiogeographyPaleoentomologyCollecting and Collections
The presence of "geological" amber (or "succin" in old French monographs) has been reported for several centuries in the Mesozoic deposits of Provence, southeastern France. Diverse amber-bearing sites were inventoried by the authors but... more
    • by 
    •   6  
      GeologyAmberCretaceousMiocene
A new Cenomanian amber-and plant-bearing deposit has been discovered at Neau, in the Mayenne department (France). The Cenomanian fossiliferous lignites are located in karst filling in a substratum of Cambrian limestones. The amber... more
    • by 
    •   3  
      AmberCenomanianMassif armoricain
"The occurrence of arthropods in amber exclusively from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic is widely regarded to be a result of the production and preservation of large amounts of tree resin beginning ca. 130 million years (Ma) ago. Abundant 230... more
    • by 
    •   10  
      Evolutionary BiologyBiogeographyEvolutionary EcologyAmber
Two new species are described from Mexican amber (15–20 Ma): Cenocephalus tenuis Peris and Solórzano Kraemer sp. nov. and Tesserocerus simojovelensis Peris and Solórzano Kraemer sp. nov. Cenocephalus, originally described as living in... more
    • by  and +3
    •   6  
      Coleoptera SystematicsMexicoDominican RepublicAmber
The early fossilization steps of natural resins and associated terminology are a subject of constant debate. Copal and resin are archives of palaeontological and historical information, and their study is critical to the discovery of new... more
    • by 
    •   6  
      PaleontologyBiodiversityAmberResins
Baltic amber constitutes the largest known deposit of fossil plant resin and the richest repository of fossil insects of any age. Despite a remarkable legacy of archaeological, geochemical and palaeobiological investigation, the botanical... more
    • by 
    •   8  
      Scanning Electron MicroscopyAmberBaltic StatesBiological Sciences
A growing body of evidence now supports the isolation of microorganisms from ancient materials. However, ques tions about the stringency of extraction methods and the genetic relatedness of isolated organisms to their closest living... more
    • by 
    •   20  
      GeneticsMicrobiologyMicrobial EcologyFluorescence
FT-Raman spectra were collected from fossil resins originating from a variety of geographical locations. The spectral profiles of most of the fossil resins could be related to modern resins containing diterpenoid components with... more
    • by 
    •   5  
      Analytical ChemistryRaman SpectroscopyAmberRaman Spectra
    • by 
    •   9  
      ArchaeologyAnthropologyAmberMagdalenian
The development of miniaturized Raman instrumentation is in demand for applications relevant to forensic, pharmaceutical and art analyses, as well as geosciences, and planetary exploration. In this study we report on evaluation of a... more
    • by 
    •   18  
      GeologyAnalytical ChemistryFluorescenceRaman Spectroscopy
Microorganisms are the most ancient cells on this planet and they include key phyla for understanding cell evolution and Earth history, but, unfortunately, their microbial records are scarce. Here, we present a critical review of... more
    • by 
    •   18  
      PaleontologyBiologyFungiBiodiversity
We present the first known fossilized snake embryo/neonate preserved in early Late Cretaceous (Early Cenomanian) amber from Myanmar, which at the time, was an island arc including terranes from Austral Gondwana. This unique and very tiny... more
    • by  and +1
    •   6  
      HerpetologyPhylogeneticsVertebrate PalaeontologyVertebrate Paleontology
Provenancing exotic raw materials and reconstructing the nature and routes of exchange is a major concern of prehistoric archaeology. Amber has long been recognised as a key commodity of prehistoric exchange networks in Europe. However,... more
    • by  and +1
    •   8  
      Prehistoric ArchaeologyArchaeological ScienceFTIR spectroscopyArchaeometry
A new Turonian amber occurrence, representing the oldest in situ amber locality in Australia and the southern-most locality in Gondwana, has recently been discovered in the Otway Basin of Victoria. The amber was collected from petroleum... more
    • by 
    •   6  
      AustraliaPaleoenvironmentPalynologyPalaeontology
"The use of amber is documented in the Iberian peninsula since the Palaeolithic. The procurement and trade of this fossil resin has often been considered in discussions of long-distance trade and the emergence of social complexity, but... more
    • by  and +1
    •   11  
      Prehistoric ArchaeologyFTIR spectroscopyIberian Prehistory (Archaeology)Prehistory
Isolated conifer female reproductive structures are common fossil elements from Cenomanian (ca 99–94 Ma) charcoal- and resin-rich beds of the Tupuangi Formation, Chatham Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Recent findings have proposed that... more
    • by 
    •   8  
      Systematics (Taxonomy)PalaeontologyPalaeobotanyAmber
Amber is of great paleontological importance because it preserves a diverse array of organisms and associated remains from different habitats in and close to the amber-producing forests. Therefore, the discovery of amber inclusions is... more
    • by  and +1
    •   5  
      AfricaEthiopiaCretaceous lifeAmber
A new amber outcrop has been found recently in a bed of lutite within the Escucha Formation near the village of Utrillas (Teruel Province), Spain. This new fossil site, which has been named San Just, contains an exceptional quantity of... more
    • by 
    •   4  
      PaleobiologyAmberCretaceousFossil Insects
Plasmodium dominicana n. sp. is described from Tertiary Dominican Republic amber. The description is based on oo¨cysts, sporozoites and possible microgametes and an ookinete in the body-cavity of a female Culex mosquito (Diptera:... more
    • by 
    •   13  
      MicrobiologyZoologyPlasmodiumDominican Republic
Jumping bristletails (order Archaeognatha), the basalmost order of extant insects, include some of the earliest fossil records among hexapods, yet their overall geological occurrence remains sparse and has provided little insight into... more
    • by 
    •   4  
      PaleoecologyPaleoentomologyAmberCretaceous
India's unique and highly diverse biota combined with its unique geodynamical history has generated significant interest in the patterns and processes that have shaped the current distribution of India's flora and fauna and their... more
    • by 
    •   9  
      PhylogeographyAncient Greek HistoryMultidisciplinaryIndia
Serrano, M. de L., T.A. Hegna, P. Schaaf, L. Pérez, E. Centeno-Garcia, & F.J. Vega. 2015. The aquatic and semiaquatic biota in Miocene amber from the Campo La Granja Mine (Chiapas, Mexico): Paleoenvironmental implications. Journal of... more
    • by  and +3
    •   19  
      EntomologyGeologyPaleontologyCrustacea
A new fossil flower preserved in amber from Miocene sediments of Simojovel de Allende, Mexico, is described and recognized as a new member of Celastraceae. This fossil flower is bisexual, with a 5-merous perianth and extrastaminal disk,... more
    • by 
    •   4  
      AmberChiapasHistoria de MéxicoSalacia
Insects have evolved diverse methods of camouflage that have played an important role in their evolutionary success. Debris-carrying, a behavior of actively harvesting and carrying exogenous materials, is among the most fascinating and... more
    • by 
    •   8  
      PaleontologyScienceApplied Animal BehaviorAmber
Our knowledge of Cretaceous plumage is limited by the fossil record itself: compression fossils surrounding skeletons lack the finest morphological details and seldom preserve visible traces of colour, while discoveries in amber have been... more
    • by 
    •   9  
      PigmentationBiologyMedicineMultidisciplinary
We describe here a co-occurrence (i.e. a syninclusion) of ants and termites in a piece of Mexican amber (Totolapa deposit, Chiapas), whose importance is two-fold. First, this finding suggests at least a middle Miocene antiquity for the... more
    • by 
    •   11  
      EngineeringPhysicsChemistryBiology
Tertiary insects and arachnids have been virtually unknown from the vast western Amazonian basin. We report here the discovery of amber from this region containing a diverse fossil arthropod fauna (13 hexapod families and 3 arachnid... more
    • by  and +2
    •   4  
      EntomologyAmazoniaAmberEcosystem
All entomological traps have a capturing bias, and amber, viewed as a trap, is no exception. Thus the fauna trapped in amber does not represent the total existing fauna of the former amber forest, rather the fauna living in and around the... more
    • by 
    •   11  
      BiodiversityMultidisciplinaryMexicoAmber
Amber is a complex, organic polymer that offers unparalleled utility as a preservation medium, providing insights into past organisms and environments. However, under specific circumstances, this information can be compromised through... more
    • by  and +1
    •   8  
      Polymer ChemistryPolymer scienceAustraliaTaphonomy
Copepods are aquatic microcrustaceans and represent the most abundant metazoans on Earth, outnumbering insects and nematode worms. Their position of numerical world predominance can be attributed to three principal radiation events, i.e.... more
    • by 
    •   10  
      WetlandsSymbiosisMexicoAmber
Fossil records of vertebrate integuments are relatively common in both rocks, as compressions, and amber, as inclusions. The integument remains, mainly the Mesozoic ones, are of great interest due to the panoply of palaeobiological... more
    • by  and +1
    •   4  
      PaleontologyAmberResinsMamalogy
Representatives of chrysidid wasps are described for the first time from inclusions in Late Cretaceous Burmese amber. Five new genera and new species are described and illustrated: †Auricleptes nebulosus gen. et sp. nov., †Azanichrum... more
    • by 
    •   6  
      PhylogeneticsAmberCladisticsComparative Morphology
Amber usually contains inclusions of terrestrial and rarely limnetic organisms that were embedded in the places were they lived in the amber forests. Therefore, it has been supposed that amber could not have preserved marine organisms.... more
    • by 
    •   11  
      Marine BiologyPaleontologyInvertebratesTaphonomy
Fossil ticks are extremely rare and Ixodes succineus Weidner, 1964 from Eocene (ca. 44-49 Ma) Baltic amber is one of the oldest examples of a living hard tick genus (Ixodida: Ixodidae). Previous work suggested it was most closely related... more
    • by 
    •   7  
      Evolutionary BiologyGeneticsTomographyAmber
The orb web is a spectacular evolutionary innovation that enables spiders to catch flying prey. This elegant, geometric structure is woven with silk fibers that are renowned for their superior mechanical properties. We used silk gland... more
    • by 
    •   10  
      ScienceMultidisciplinaryAmberElasticity
Whether the structure of ecological communities can exhibit stability over macroevolutionary timescales has long been debated. The similarity of independently evolved Anolis lizard communities on environmentally similar Greater Antillean... more
    • by 
    •   8  
      Evolutionary BiologyEvolutionVertebrate PalaeontologyVertebrate Evolution
Extraordinary preservation in amber of the Miocene termite Mastotermes electrodominicus has led to the discovery of fossil symbiotic microbes. Spirochete bacteria and wood-digesting protists were identified in the intestinal tissue of the... more
    • by 
    •   11  
      SymbiosisTransmission Electron MicroscopyMultidisciplinaryFossil Wood
Derbachile hochae gen. et sp.n., D. aschei sp.n. and Achiderbe obrienae gen. et sp.n. from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber described in Derbachilini trib.n. are the first Mesozoic and the earliest fossil Derbidae. D. hochae sp.n., with 2.6... more
    • by 
    •   5  
      Cretaceous lifeAmberPlanthoppersFulgoromorpha
Among the many challenges in paleobiology is the inference and reconstruction of behaviors that rarely, if ever, leave a physical trace on the environment that is suitable for fossiliza-tion. Of particular significance are those behaviors... more
    • by 
    •   5  
      Animal BehaviourAmberCretaceousCollembola
This paper investigates the new and hitherto unstudied boom in cross-border Burmese amber (Burmite) trade between Myanmar and Tengchong, Yunnan province. Based on interviews with amber dealers and local officials, it describes how since... more
    • by 
    •   10  
      AnthropologyBorder StudiesSocial and Cultural AnthropologyChina
Diverse assemblages of tanaidacean peracarid crustaceans from western Tethyan continental deposits suggest that the group was relatively common in or around ancient resin-producing forests. Here we report the results of an examination of... more
    • by 
    •   5  
      Cretaceous lifeFrancePalaeobiologyAmber