Incredibly Well Preserved Cockroach Insect Fossil

The Class Insecta is well represented in Liaoning and Hebei Provinces of China, with over 500 species referable to over 100 families based upon over 10,000 specimens. This fantastic diversity and exquisite detail is unprecedented throughout the world. The most obvious example is a large, detailed member of the Dictyoptera, or Cockroaches. Notice the incredible detail in the venation of the wings. The many freshwater clams as well as three Ephemeroptera larvae (to left) present are indications of the aquatic environment in which these types of specimens were preserved. There is one repaired matrix crack which does little to detract from this one which appears to have been caught in flight over the lake.