Fossilised animal - Neuroptera - 9 cm - 6 cm

Neuroptera

Jehol Biota, Western Liaoning

Early Cretaceous, approximately 125–120 million years ago.

The most notable feature of this specimen is its preservation as a complete part-and-counterpart pair: upon splitting the rock slab, the positive impression (part) and negative impression (counterpart) of the insect's body were retained on the two resulting surfaces, with the details on each side corresponding perfectly to the other. Distinct features of the head and thorax, abdominal segmentation, appendages, and partial wing outlines are visible; the abdominal segmentation is particularly clear, allowing for easy identification of the insect's overall morphology.