Expensive
Amber
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1. This is a velvet mite. Everything about this specimen
is great. The amber is a very clear yellow, and there is even
an ant thrown in to boot! The mite is in the order Acarina, family
Trombidiklae. The surface of the mite is covered
with very fine hairs. An easy way to identify this animal
are the heavy antennae which are distinctive. Newly hatched young
have only 3 pairs of legs and acquire the 4th
pair after the first molt. This is the largest velvet mite
that I have ever seen, it must be about 2 mm in size (that is
BIG!) This piece does have its
own web page.
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 2. I am not sure why I get such a kick out of pieces like this, but it do. This is what I call a "death assembly" of female worker ants. There must be 50 or more female workers who all became stuck in the sticky resin at the same time. Just fascinating to look at and even cooler to think about - this is one piece that your friends will be amazed at. Always fun to look at, you cannot miss with this piece of Dominican amber history.
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3. One
of the most
impressive planthoppers we have
ever seen. The
amber is large, just over
2 inches in length and very clear. The
planthopper is a bit over .25 inches and it has it's
wings spread. Actually
there are a number of
other planthoppers in this piece, but they pall in comparison.
This animals in the
order Homoptera, Superfamily
Fulgoroidea, Family Achilidae That is as far as I can go
with
any certainty. This is just one of those pieces that is
just so impressive when you hold it in your hand and look at
the animals. If you know your planthoppers, then this will
knock you for a loop.
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4. Everyone once in a while you look at a piece under the microscope that takes your breath away. This is it. If you have ever seen pictures of the honey pot ants - the ones with the bloated abdomens, that will catch your eye. We have one. I have never seen one before (amber or life...) I saw this under the microscope, but when I did, it was obvious. This is the type that you can write a paper from. It was found a few years back at the La Toca mines - impressive. It does have a nice bristletail (Archaeognatha) - which is rare by itself. Also some female ants, Hymenoptera, what looks like a root (probably not though) and even a mite, Acarina, family Bdellidae. All in all one of the rarer pieces I have ever seen.
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5. Large
Lizard For this one, you must go to the web page. It is a large
lizard which is VERY expensive. Before you go to the web page,
you should know that the price of this beauty is $70,000! On top
of that, we have a completely separate page for the description
of this reptile. Go
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6. You might feel that this is impossible, but here it is..........a
very large
millipede, Class Diplopoda. This is the finest example I have
ever seen in amber, and probably ever will. The millipede
is so large, I estimate its size to be about 1
inch in length! Here is a close
up of its legs. The piece is filled with other stuff also. There
appears to be a decayed branch next to the animal. There is a nice
fungus gnat, many gnats and a few flies, there is even a rare
predaceous mite (I do not think this is a tick) - Acarina, suborder
Cryptostigmata, Family
Bdellidae. This mite, in and unto itself is rare and expensive!
(I am not an expert in mites and ticks so I insert a disclaimer
here about the family - it
may not be Bdellidae) You just do not find millipedes like this,
just unbelievable!
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7. Lace bugs are one of the aesthetic peculiarities among Baltic amber inclusions. They are flattened bugs characterized by areolate reticulations of the pronotum and hemelytra. A variety of attractive species is reflected by this dense network of longitudinal veins and cross veins. This particular Tingidae is a member of the true bugs: Heteroptera and is of the genus species, Sinalda baltica, Drake 1950.
This has it's own page - you need to see this one.
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 8. Hold on to your pants. Here is the largest en-hydro we have ever seen. The amber itself is 108 grams and about 4 x 3 x 1 inches, pie shaped. The amber has a distinct greenish quality to it. There are some nice flows lines in it..............and I haven't even talked about the best part. Water, lots of water. The water bubble is about 5/8 inches long and has a great bubble floating in it. By the way - 5/8 of an inch is humungous for an en-hydro - the biggest we have ever seen. Depending on how you shake it, the bubble can turn into 2 or 3 smaller (yet still large) sub-bubbles. Just think about it. This water (probably a few milliliters) has been trapped in the amber for 20 million years. Whatever viruses or bacteria around at that time were also trapped with the water. I shutter to think what could happen if this wash of water ever breaks open and releases it's contents - life as we know it could threatened with the new 'old' viral invaders. Interesting thought. We made short movie of the movement of air bubbles, you should enjoy them. The movies are large, but worth the wait. This is a real monster air bubble.
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9. Some mayflies, Ephemeroptera, have 2 or 3 long hair-like tails and strong forewings. Hind wings are small and rounded or very reduced. Mayfly adults enjoy a life span of no more than two days. On transition from nymph to adult stage, they fly from the surface of the water for mating, but do not feed. They complete the mating process and die after one or two days. Mayfly eggs are laid in water, and are hatched within one or two weeks. Fossils of mayflies are very rarely found in amber. This specimen with 3 cerei is very rare. Mayflies have the shortest life span of any animal. They may spend two to three years as nymphs at the bottom of lakes and streams, and then live for as little as one hour as winged adults.
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10. Pseudoscorpion,
an ant and a leaf. Pseudoscorpions are in the order Pseudoscorpionida
that have fang-like chelicerae and short pedipalps. In scorpions,
the pedipalps have been modified into pincers. Typically pseudo
scorpions are very small. This pseudoscorpion
is full with both pinchers raised as in battle. Included in
the specimen is also a curled leaf and a worker
ant, Hymenoptera. This is a good piece at a great price.
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11. Sometimes you run into something that looks like it should. This cockroach looks just like 'he' was checking the air before he crouched down to run away. Just a sharp looking roach, Blatteridae. Not only that but there is an immature cricket - in real good shape. This is a large piece, clear and weighs about 21.5 grams. A very nice specimen of anyone's collection. There is an immature planthopper also.
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12.
Stoneflies are rare in amber. The larvae form of a stonefly are even harder to find. Here is the larval form of a stonefly, Plecoptera.
A lovely piece of Baltic amber, this ne is polished on only one side and show the stonefly very well. Even so, this is not a large animal. This one has its own page.
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 13.
This
is a
planthopper nymph - a perfect one in
perfect amber, Homoptera,
Fulgoroidea. Besides the perfect nature of this piece, look
closely at the posterior end. This nymph has a brush tail. It
is thought that these
waxy filaments serve as an escape device - similar to how
tarantulas rub the hairs off their backs to allow the
fine hairs to get into the skin or eyes of a predator. You
do not see these
filaments on planthopper's very often.
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14. Mosquitoes are members of the insect Family Culicidae. Insects, belonging to this family possess paired scaled wings, paired halteres, slender bodies, and long legs. They belong to the insect Order Diptera (“true flies”).
Mosquitoes are similar to flies though. The differences among the two insects include: scales on the wings of mosquitoes, longer legs and female mosquitoes possessing a long mouth part called proboscis in the female, used for piercing their victim’s skin. The males do not have the probiscis - so when you get bitten by a mosquito, you are being bitten by a female.
What we have here is the finest mosquito in amber that we have ever seen. the amber is perfect, the color is outstanding, the positioning of this critter is earth shattering. Now, to top that off, the abdomen appears to be distended, indicating that this female mosquito apparently just had finished a meal of blood. This is Jurassic Park revisited! I shutter to think that the essence of Jurassic Park might be based upon this single, perfect mosquito. Quite possibly, this is the finest mosquito specimen in Dominican amber, anywhere. I know it is hard to believe, but this is a high quality museum specimen of the finest quality.
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15. I just love it when a piece of amber tells a story. This one tells the story of a very hungry animal. The animal that the Pseudoscorpion has is the larvae of coleopteran (Scirtidae). This is a very unusual situation to find unfolding inside Baltic amber. Pseudoscorpions are not very common in amber, much less when they are actually doing something. This has it's own web page.
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16.
Seldom
will anyone ever see a lizard in amber. They are so rare that
a miner or collector would have to be very lucky to see a real
lizard in amber. This is a real lizard. This is a lizard that
died 25 million years ago. You can see skin, part of the vertebrae,
the hip assembly and the bones of the legs including the phalanxes.
This is a small lizard, probably a baby not to far out of its
shell. You
can even count the toes on the foot! In some places
the skin is gone and there is just an impression in
the resin (amber). But in some places the skin looks
so fresh and strong that you wonder if this guy will
start moving.
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17. Sometimes planthoppers can have very strange heads. Here is one that is called an "alligator-head" or "dragon" insect. This is because their snout resembles the head of an alligator. Naturalists have noted that modern types of such planthoppers often sit with their snouts up in the air, similar to the stance of a true reptile. This is the first time we have come across this type of planthopper (Homoptera:Fulgoroidea). They are so rare that you normally see the same picture over and over - well here is a new one, and just as rare. This is a perfect specimen. You will never see another one of these for sale, anywhere.
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18. When you find the impossible piece, you should always look further. First, and what led me to this piece are a pair of mating (in copuli) midges. These midges have been 'coupled' for 24 million years. Think about that. It is rather rare to find such a pair - much less a perfect pair. This is a wonderful cab, clear with great color. Upon further inspection, this has one other animal - a female webspinner, Embioptera....Unbelievable. Webspinners themselves are rare in amber. Either specimen is rare, together they form the impossible piece. The primary feature of webspinners is their snake-like heads, with the forelegs which are short and stout. Webspinners have glands on their front legs that emit silk to line their homes. Most webspinners found in amber are male, females are even rarer (of course this is a female.) I cannot impress to you how nice a piece this is. I can see this as a beautiful pendant, what a story to tell.
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 19.
Mosquito's in amber are rather unusual. Since the smell of resin does not attract the insect, there is little to entice the animal to it. So to find one in amber is really a special day. This is a rather large female mosquito. Who knows where her last meal was from - Jurassic Park revisited? This is a guaranteed female mosquito in a nice sized cab of Dominican amber.
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 20.
We have saved the best for "almost" last. Here is
a queen ant - not only that but she is mating with a drone.
This isn't even seen nowadays, much less caught in the act 24
million years ago in amber and discovered! This
has its own page for the story behind this one.
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 21.
This
is one of the animals that you will sometimes find in books.
Often it is the same picture that is used from book to book
or article to article. They are so rare in Dominican amber that
you will just not see that many pictures of them. The whip scorpion
is one of the rarest of all finds. Tail-less whip scorpions
or amblypigids
are very efficient predators. They remain hidden
under leaves, bark and other debris for most of the day.
They come out at night to feed. Their chelicerae
are modified into strong, spine-armored
grasping organs that the hapless arthropods would find nearly
inescapable. Their front pair of legs, in contrast, are long
and slender, obviously modified for sensory
functions. Lacking any type
of tail appendage, these formidable creatures are not frequently
encountered. The females carry their eggs in a sac attached
to the undersurface of the abdomen by a few silken threads.
Amblypygi..........Genus
Phrynus species resinae...............
Schawaller 1979
The size
is about 1 inch x .5 inches x .5 inches
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 22.
A large
chunk of amber
with a few dozen platypodid
beetles (ambrosia beetles), Coleoptera,
Platypodidae. Along with the beetles there area few ants, Hymenoptera,
Formicidae and a couple of gnats - even some other animals. This
is about 4 x 1.25 x 3 inches and 151 grams in weight. So you can
see that this would serve as a nice weight on one's desk.
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 23.
Female mosquito is located near one side. This piece is large, being 15.4 grams in weight. Rather more like a show piece since it is very clear and just plain impressive. You do not see mosquito's very often in amber. We are lucky enough to have two for sale (a rare day.......). There are 2 nice fungus gnats, Diptera, Mycetophilidae - on one you can actually see the wing pattern. Very unusual condition.
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 24.
You will probably never see a dusty
wing fly for sale again, Neuroptera.
Here is one. The wings are covered with a fine whitish powder.
The bases (coxae) of each pair
of legs is fused beneath the abdomen. These are fragile and
seldom
found animals. While this does have a few other
animals inside, it is really the dusty wing that makes
this so special.
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25.
At first I thought these were ants, but close inspection indicates
that they are wasps. To my best knowledge, there is only one other
pair of mating wasps found in Dominican amber. This is the second.
When you look closely you will see that one of the pair is wingless.
In one family
of wasps (Bethylidae) the female is wingless. This is so good,
it has a web page all to itself.
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 26. It seems like all the great stuff is at the bottom of this page!
This is a very large adult
planthopper Order Homoptera, Superfamily, Fulgoroidea. The wing
structure is great, you can see the individual
hairs! The details on this animal are particularly
good. While the planthopper
is large, so is the hunk of amber. The planthopper is about
.25 inches x .25 inches (one wing is spread). The entire piece of
amber is almost 2 inches x 1.5 x .5 inches. Of course there are
the miscellaneous flies and gnats scattered around. There is a special
plant in this one. It appears that this is a germinating
Bryophyte! Very unusual to find this. The entire specimen is
a plus for any serious amber collector. >
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 27.
Parts are parts. Here ar various parts from a lizard in Colombian
copal. Discovered last year this lizard left much of it's remains
in the sticky resin a long time ago. My guess from looking at
the feet, this was a small gecko
lizard. One
side has a very
well preserved tail.
the other side various parts of the lizard such
as skin, a few parts of the feet, part
of the skull of the animal
and more. It is a rather cool piece at a great price. There also
spiders,
caddis
flies ( a
dozen to 2 dozen), a beetle
and a lot of sharp looking debris including
part of a leaf and
petiole. This is
an exceptionally fine
specimen. You will
have a great
time studying it - it is just plain good fun.
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 28. So seldom does one find ticks in amber. I have only found 2 others in all my searches. They are just so rare. I would even go out on a limb to say you will never find one for sale again. As you know ticks prey upon warm blooded animals and are not attracted to sticky resin. Here is a large and perfect tick, Acarina, Ixodidae. It is really sharp - the nicest I have ever seen. Inside this piece is even more, a wonderful winged termite, Isoptera and even a planthopper, Homoptera with it's wings spread (you do not see the wings spread very often). All in all, this is one mighty impressive piece of Dominican amber. Just think, with the tick you might have blood from a very prehistoric animal (24 million years). And by the way, this is a great price for this.
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29.  Here is one of those perfect pieces. The cab shape is good, this is so clear and void of any other distracting artifacts - just the beautiful pseudoscorpion. Wonderful piece, so easy to see, and this guy looks like he was ready when he died. One heck of a quality museum specimen.
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30. If you like ticks and mites, then this tick is for you. It is
really one of the best mites I have ever seen in amber. Large, easy to see
and in good shape. In the family Caeculidae and in the genus Caeculus!
These are called the Rake legged mites due to the spines on the
front legs. I rather like these mites as they have good image character.
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31. Centipedes in Dominican amber are very rare. This is a perfect centipede, Class Chilopdoa order Geophilomorpha.  It is almost as if the centipede was laid down to look it's be. Not only do you not find centipedes, but to find a perfect one is so rare that it just does not happen. trees
and leaves. This centipede is well over an inch long.
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32.
This is a rather rare one. It comes from a parasitic larval form that only lives in spiders. Not only rare - but this is a perfect piece. And - it may be a new species (although I will not guarantee that since Acroceridae are not my specialty.) All known species are internal parasites of spiders. Adults of living forms can be found in vegetated or forested areas with females usually in search of a spider host or feeding on the nectar of flowers. The life span of adults is very short (usually only 1 week). Larvae include a planidial first instar that actively searches out a host immediately after hatching from the egg. Larvae pass through 4 instars before emerging from the host and pupating. If you have not guessed, this is a very rare animal in Dominican amber (also Baltic).
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33.
Here is almost what I would consider an impossible situation. We have 2 whip scorpions (this one and the one above). Both came from the La Toca mines and both are out of this world. This one is a bit smaller - the amber is a little bit smaller and the whip scorpion is a little bit smaller. But oh, is this perfect. There is also a small spider and even an unknown mite. This will take your breath away when you see it. The details are outstanding. There is a lot of general information in the box above, please take a look at that. This is a museum piece.
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to you as soon as possible (usually mailed the same day or at worst, the next day). U.S. orders
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