Early Cretaceous (Berriasian)

Yixian Formation

Huangbangi Valley, Beipiao, Liaoning Province, China

Very good 0.3 inch insect.

Insect.

There’s never a Cretaceous insect expert around when you need one.  I asked a neighbor to take a look.  He said I should call an exterminator.

Many Cretaceous insects can be identified to at least family by an entomologist because maybe half of the modern insect families appeared during the Cretaceous.  However, some now-extinct groups also existed then so identifying this one might require the expertise of a paleoentomologist.  In any case some collectors like a mystery and pick up unidentified specimens on the chance that they might turn out to be something unusual.