5.4" Fossil Dragonfly (Cymatophlebia) - Solnhofen Limestone

 

This is a spectacular, 5.4" wide fossil dragonfly (Cymatophlebia) from the Upper Jurassic, Solnhofen Limestone of Germany. Complete fossil dragonflies are rare finds in this formation and there are several species present. This one is huge, and incredibly well preserved with excellent wing detail. It's located on a nice thick slab of limestone with only a single repaired crack running through it. This is probably the nicest dragonfly fossil we've had for sale.

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.

SOLD
DETAILS
SPECIES
Cymatophlebia
LOCATION
Eichstatt, Bavaria, Germany
FORMATION
Solnhofen Limestone
SIZE
5.4" wingspan, 4" long, Rock 12.5x7.1"
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#92464
GUARANTEE
We guarantee the authenticity of all of our
specimens. Read more about our
Authenticity Guarantee.