Eocene Plecia Insect Fossil Part and Counterpart

The March fly or Love Bug is one of the more common insects found in the Tranquille Shale. The genus is the one that motorists frequently encounter as a serious nuisance when traveling in the southern states. The detail seen in the pictures speaks to the fine quality of this fossil.

Generally speaking, the fossils from Tranquille Shale, Cache Creek lacality represent a more diverse flora than what occurs in the Northwest U.S. today. The insects are also diverse and the more common species include flies, plant hoppers, wasps and beetles. The best modern analogues of the former Eocene climate are the temperate forests of Asia and eastern North America. Overall temperatures were cool, but winter temperatures markedly warmer than today.