The dragonfly-like creature above belongs to an extinct family of insects in the order Odonata, the same order as both ancient and modern dragonflies and damselflies, but in their own separate subgroup. Preservation of wing venation is very faint, making specific identification difficult. This specimen was sold as being a representative of the genus Stenophlebia. Fossils of this genus are known from Jurassic rocks in southwest Germany, Kazakhtan, and England, and also from Cretaceous sediments in China (Liaoning), and North Korea (Paleobiology Database, n.d.). Their wing shape has been interpreted to indicate they were slow flyers and fed on smaller insects. They had short ovipositors and may have laid their eggs in plants near the water (Bechly, 2010).

References:

Bechly, G., 2010. Additions to the fossil dragonfly fauna from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil (Insecta: Odonata). Palaeodiversity, 3(Suppl.), pp. 11-77. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Guenter-Bechly/publication/285224202_Additions_to_the_fossil_dragonfly_fauna_from_the_Lower_Cretaceous_Crato_Formation_of_Brazil_Insecta_Odonata/links/56cb087608ae96cdd06f9290/Additions-to-the-fossil-dragonfly-fauna-from-the-Lower-Cretaceous-Crato-Formation-of-Brazil-Insecta-Odonata.pdf

Paleobiology Database, No date. Stenophlebia. The Paleobiology Database. Available at: https://paleobiodb.org/classic/basicTaxonInfo?taxon_no=177929 (Accessed: November 2024).