Damselfly (Odonata)
GRI #462
Fossil damselflies and dragonflies (order Odonata) are highly prized for their beauty but are also significant in showing unusual preservation of relatively delicate organisms. This unidentified specimen, for example, retains good anatomical details beyond the outline of its wings and body (e.g., distinct darker impressions of the eyes, thin segmented legs). It is also found in association with insect larvae and plant material. Damselflies appear to be more common and diverse than dragonflies among the comparatively rare Odonata that have been identified from the Green River Formation (Bechly et al. , 2021; Nel, 2020).
References
Bechly, G., Garrouste, R., Aase, A., Karr, J.A., Grande, L. and Nel, A., 2021. The damselfly palaeofauna from the Eocene of Wyoming and Colorado, USA (Insecta, Odonata, Zygoptera). Papers in Palaeontology, 7(3), pp. 1373-1402. doi:10.1002/spp2.1346.
Nel, A., 2020. The second genus of the extinct dragonfly family Urolibellulidae from the Eocene Green River Formation (Odonata, Anisoptera: Cavilabiata). Palaeoentomology, 3(1), pp. 50-53.
Back of slab, containing a leaf fragment and abundant larvae of dipteran insects.