-40%
Super RARE Female Mosquito in Authentic Dominican Amber Fossil Gemstone
$ 105.6
- Description
- Size Guide
Description
Please visit my low starting bid auctions as well. Thank you!Please see my feedback. I have been selling amber fossils for over 10 years on eBay and do not sell fake amber only genuine material from now extinct plant sources not glass or plastic embedded with present day inclusions.
This specimen of
all-natural
authentic Dominican amber from the La Yaguita group of mines in the Dominican Republic contains a super rare true mosquito from the Family Culicidae. This particular mosquito is a female hence it would have been capable of drawing blood. Please note its long proboscis it would have used to draw blood with and the antennae in identifying it as a female.
The piece has a window polished into it while the remainder is in the rough as it was mined in the Dominican Republic. You can clearly see the matrix still attached to this specimen.
With the mosquito is a dark-winged fungus gnat (Family Sciaridae).
According to
Secrets of a Lost World: Dominican Amber and Its Inclusions
by Rafael Jie Chiang Wu, 'novices may sometimes mistake some gnats and midges for mosquitoes. A closer examination will reveal the differences. Male mosquitoes have very plumose (feather-like) antennae and do not bite; they feed on nectar and other plant juices. Females have only a few short hairs on the antennae and with their long proboscis are blood-sucking. Adult mosquitoes act as vectors of dengue fever, filariasis, yellow fever, and malaria. They are very seldom seen in amber, probably because they would not have been attracted to the odor of resin.’
This particular specimen comes from a private collector who has studied and collected amber for over 30 years and has co-authored numerous papers with Dr. George Poinar, Jr.
This mosquito would have inhabited an ancient rain forest that is long gone.
Geological studies have dated Dominican amber to be between 17 and 20 million years old!
The piece itself weighs 2.0 grams and has approximate dimensions of 1.8 cm length, 1.3 cm width, and 0.8 cm height
.
NOTE:
2.5 cm is approximately 1 inch.
I hand-sand and fully polish the majority of amber pieces I offer, this piece from rough originating from the
Dominican Republic
.
Please mouse over or click on images to see a larger view. I do combine items to save on shipping costs.
Dominican fossil amber is known for the clarity of its inclusions including such things as insects, arachnids, and botanicals.
All amber I offer is authentic, non-treated material. Many of these specimens have been hand-sanded and polished by me. They have not been reconstituted nor are they plastic.
This amber is much more rare than the ever prevalent Baltic amber which originates from several countries and across Europe.
Dominican amber comes from one island source: the Dominican Republic which shares the island with Haiti and the supply is much smaller than that of Baltic amber which has been mined for centuries and now is mass mined as opposed to Dominican material which has been mined for only decades with picks and hammers by candlelight.
I will combine items for up to 7 days to save on shipping costs.
International Buyers: Please note that I ship using First Class Mail International.
A SPECIAL NOTE CONCERNING INTERNATIONAL BUYERS
:
Please understand that import duties, taxes and charges are NOT included in the selling price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
Please check your country's customs office to determine what these additional charges may be prior to bidding/buying.
I cannot guarantee delivery of your item in a set amount of time. Different country's customs offices take longer to process items than others do.
Lastly, I do not mark merchandise values below their true value or mark items as "gifts." U.S. and International government regulations prohibit such behavior. Honesty is the best option.
I only sell genuine, all-natural, non-heat treated, reconstituted, or color enhanced amber.
Please note that the majority of
Dominican amber is NOT fossiliferous as this piece
.
Fossiliferous pieces have more value
. This piece could be used as a specimen or in a piece of jewelry.
Thank you for your consideration. This amber will ship worldwide.
I will combine items to save on shipping for up to a 7 day period and usually ship within a 24 hour period
.
Please note that the saltwater test to identify real from fake amber is not reliable. The saltwater test claims that real amber will float in saltwater while fake amber will sink.
However, many amber sources or even specimens will not float in saltwater as their botanical (plant) composition as well as fossil inclusions are such that they are more dense than saltwater and so sink. I do not sell fake amber. My feedback should help demonstrate this.