Fossil
Amber Termite (Kalootemitidae)
Class Insecta,
Order Isoptera, Family Kalootemitidae
Geological
Time: Late Cretaceous, Cenomanian Stage (~100 million years ago)
Size: Amber
is 10 mm long, 7 mm across; Inclusion: 6 mm with 6 mm wings
Fossil Site:
Hukawng Valley, Kachin State, Myanmar
Code: MYA19
Price: $325.00
|  Description:
This fossil amber specimen displays a termite, one of the primary
consumers of cellulose worldwide. While it is thought that Isoptera
arose during the Jurassic, no specimens are known to date. This
one is amazingly well preserved, and comes from the Late Cretaceous
Burmite deposits of Myanmar. It is the winged form of termite known
as an alate. Termites are typically wingless, but alates are the
sexual form which swarm in immense numbers which pair off and establish
new colonies once they have shed their wings. The swarming is a
means to overwhelm predators. While many are eaten, a sufficient
number survive to form new colonies. This one blundered into some
fresh tree sap and became engulfed by additional sap flow to ultimately
afford this fine specimen.
Also
see: Cretaceous
Jersimantis luzzii praying mantis in amber and Pseudoscorpion
in Cretaceous Fossil Amber and Centipede
in Cretaceous Amber
Reference:
AMNH Novitates, No. 3361, Mar 26, 2002. |
|
