amberica west

Expensive Amber

 

$550
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.
Scanned Image!
$555
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.
Scanned Image!
$1,239

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.

Scanned Image!

$895
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.
Scanned Image!

$70,000
SOLD
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 to the separate page
$2900
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! Scanned Image!
$1920
SOLD


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.
Scanned Image!

$2678

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.

$3,195

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.

Scanned Image!

$389
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.
Scanned Image!
$535
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.
Scanned Image!
$820

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.
Scanned Image!
$490

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.
Scanned Image!

$1,890
SOLD


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.
Scanned Image!

$710
SOLD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.
Scanned Image!

$9,300
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.
Scanned Image!
$1425
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.
Scanned Image!
$1325
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.
Scanned Image!
$399
SOLD

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.
Scanned Image!

$99,900

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.
Scanned Image!

$16,000

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


Scanned Image!

$699
SOLD
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.
Scanned Image!
$442
SOLD
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.
Scanned Image!
$675
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.
Scanned Image!
$3,629
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.
Scanned Image!
$1,150
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. > Scanned Image!
$1980
SOLD
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.
Scanned Image!
$1,450

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.
Scanned Image!

$850
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.
Scanned Image

$450
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. Scanned Image!
$4840
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.
Scanned Image!
$2,145


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).

Scanned Image!
$9,289
33. Here is almost what I would consider an impossible situation. We have 2 whip scorpions (this one and the one above). Both came fromthe 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.
Scanned Image!

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Please feel free to visit out sister store that specializes in DNA products. From neckties to jewelry, to DNA models and DNA stuffed toys! The DNA Store has things you only dreamed about. You will enjoy your visit - it is a very unique store.

Also there is a unique site for exclusive and specialized Dominican amber at the Amber Mine.

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.

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