Description SIZE: 40-45mm (Range) All of our Fossils are 100% Genuine Specimens & come with a Certificate of Authenticity! Name: Plecia pealei (Love Bug) Specimen: Fly in Oil Shale Matrix Age: Eocene Period (45-50 Million Years Old) Location Found: Green River Formation, Wyoming, USA Plecia pealei aka Lovebug or March Fly is a prehistoric species from the Bibionidae family of flies (Diptera). These fossils were found in the “Fish Layers”, not the more common “Leaf Layers”, of the Green River Formation of Wyoming, USA. These Bibionid Fly specimens have wonderful detail preserved, even the wings and legs are easily visible. Prehistoric insects are various groups of insects that lived before recorded history and formed a very important part of the food chain, as they do today. Insects have inhabited the Earth since before the time of the dinosaurs, with the earliest identifiable insect fossil being the Devonian Rhyniognatha hirsti, a Springtail, estimated to have lived 407 to 396 million years ago! One of the main differences between modern insects and prehistoric insects, like many other creatures of prehistory, was their size. Prehistoric varieties tended to be much larger than their modern-day equivalents. This size difference is thought to be due to higher atmospheric oxygen levels, higher temperatures and the absence of birds as key predators of insect life. SIMILAR TO SEEN: The image shows an example of the single specimen you will receive. This will be picked from our stock box graded and with a size within the minimum and maximum size range indicated. It will not be the exact specimen in the photo, the colours, shape, size and style may vary as with any natural item.
