LATE CRETACEOUS INSECTS FROM NEW JERSEY

An assemblage of well-preserved fossil insects is described from the Turonian (90 million years before present) of New Jersey. The three-dimensional insect fossils are composed entirely of carbon and are preserved in clay. While only parts of insects are preserved, scales, setae, pores and even cellular details are visible. This detailed preservation allows identification to the family and even the generic level. Although many of the fossilized insects have affinities to modern taxa, others are previously unknown. The insects are preserved in association with a diverse array of angiosperm flowers; together these fossils have the potential to provide important insights into plant-insect relationships during the late Cretaceous.