Male Strepsiptera
in Baltic Amber

This is a strange group of insects. Most species are described solely from the males because most of the females are devoid of eyes, antennae, legs and external genitalia and they live their life in the host! They prey upon solitary bees, solitary wasps, and true bugs mostly. The female is mostly flightless and are degenerate in that she has no legs and a body that looks rather like a maggot. The males have only one pair of functional wings, and these are the hindwings, the forewings are greatly reduced to look and function like the halteres of flies. Even for today, they are not that common and few people other than entomologists have or are likely to see them.

The name of the group is derived from the Greek words for twisted (streptos) and wing (pteron) and refers to the peculiar twisted wing of the male's hind-wings while in flight.

Strepsiptera present an enigma to taxonomists. Some believe they are the sister group to the beetle families Meloidae and Rhipiphoridae, which have similar parasitic development and forewing reduction; some say they are the sister group to the beetles; some say they are the sister group to the flies, which have hindwing halteres.

The eyes are very unique in this group, they have what commonly looks like bumps all over them. This is a very good indicator that you are looking at a Strepsiptera.

They are rare in both Baltic and Dominican amber. The number of specimens from Baltic amber can be counted on one's hands and toes! They are rare and found mostly in museums (if at all).

This particular specimen is in perfect shape. The Twisted Wing almost looks like he posed for us when he died. It is a remarkable piece of amber. You can see all the important characteristics of the animal There is a jumping spider off to the side, Araneida, Salticidae. Reminds me of the spider and the fly. This piece is circular and is reminiscent of a thick coin.

We offer here, one beautiful Strepsiptera. This particular one is probably a parasite on bees. The amber is excellent, about 5/8th inches x 1/4 inches - round. While we do sell the unusual, this one really takes the cake. You probably will not find a Strepsiptera anywhere else in the world for sale (really)!

Science magazine ran a one page article on Steprsiptera (January 2005)! Here is the article as a pdf.

Finally, here is a very impressive picture (large though.)

Postage for amber will usually cost $5.35 (USD Priority Mail in the USA) or 1st class mail anywhere in the world. There may be exceptions to this. We will get your sample to you as soon as possible (usually mailed the same day or at worst, the next day). U.S. orders go out by Priority Mail, overseas as Air Mail. Books are normally mailed "Media Mail", unless they are light, in which case they are mailed first class. Overseas books are air mail unless the weight is prohibitive, in which case you will have the option of surface (ship) or paying a bit extra for air mail. All prices are in U.S. dollars. If you are overseas and want something other than normal air mail - contact us when you make the purchase. For any questions, please contact us at sales@ambericawest.com.

Our emails are sent immediately, so if you don't receive it, it is likely caught in a spam filter. You will receive another email when your order ships which will contain the shipping information.

You can pay 3 ways, either by credit card (located on each page as the 'buy now' button), a personal check, or purchase order.

Finally, if you feel more comfortable, feel free to call us at 719-488-2654 (this is in the United States). This number works as a fax if you would like to fax your request or purchase order.

Interested in a gift certificate for your daughter or son or that special person? Why not try our gift certificates?