1.9" Jurassic Fly (Diptera) - Solnhofen Limestone

Jurassic Fly (Diptera) - Solnhofen Limestone #108921

This is a 1.9" fossil Fly (Diptera) from Solnhofen Limestone, Germany. The detailed preservation shows wing venation, body and legs. This fly is of the sub order Nematocera. This is the group that contains craneflies and other elongated flies. The black dots outlining it are natural mineral formations, similar to dendrites.

The Solnhofen limestone is a famous Upper Jurassic lagerstätte in Germany. It is where one of the most famous fossils of all time, Archaeopteryx, was found. The fine-grained limestone makes excellent building material, which has led to heavy quarrying over the past two centuries. In the process, some spectacular fossils were unearthed, including fossil dragonflies, fish, pterosaurs, shrimp, horseshoe crabs, and many more.

This area represents an ancient archipelago at the edge of a sea. Due to high salt content, the lowest levels in the water column could not support much life and were largely devoid of oxygen. This lack of oxygen and scavengers on the bottom of the sea led to beautiful fossil preservation.

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