Gene

Linguistics

Philosophy

Ecology

Tree frog

Biology

Amphibian

Fish <Actinopterygii>

Fishery

Biochemistry

Vertebrate

Geology

Paleontology

Sponge spicule

Cretaceous

Fossil Record

Invertebrate

Zoology

Burmese

Historical Biology

The eggs of fish, amphibians, and many invertebrates are soft, delicate structures that are only rarely preserved in the fossil record. Here we report egg masses preserved as inclusions in mid-Cretaceous amber deposits of Myanmar. Of five specimens recovered, three of the egg masses probably pertain to insects, but the other two appear different. One mass is composed of relatively stiff eggs that retain their shape throughout the mass and may be linked by mucoid strands. This morphology resembles that of some terrestrial molluscs. The second mass is composed of softer eggs that have compressed one another so that their shapes are strongly distorted within the mass. These eggs most closely resemble those of amphibians. Given the forest environment reconstructed for the amber locality, the eggs were presumably attached on or close to the resin producing tree.

Possible egg masses from amphibians, gastropods, and insects in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber