Darkwing fungus gnat + leg from larger insect

Darkwing fungus gnat + larger insect's leg click on pictures to see them larger
There are many different types of gnats, some are known as fungus gnats. this one is a good example because, while it shows signs of a struggle to escape the resin which later became amber, it nevertheless is arranged in a way that displays much of its anatomy. Though it is a very small insect, it illustrates the kind of well preserved and striking inclusions which can be found in amber pieces often selling for less than $10. This is also an example of how a higher resolution digital camera would come in handy. The facets of the gnats compound eyes were clearly visible through the eyepiece of the stereo microscope, but they cannot be seen in this picture.

While the complete fungus gnat is the primary inclusion in this piece, even the most casual observer couldn't help but to notice the much larger, secondary inclusion. The obvious questions are:
What did it come from? and What happened to the rest of it?
If the complete insect this leg came from was included, this would be a prize piece indeed. Since the complete leg is included with empty amber around it, the separation was not a result of the amber being fractured. The insect may have been broken apart and sperated by resin flow so there may be another piece of amber some where with the rest of it. It is also possible that a predator discarded the leg when eating the insect.

It could even be that the insect itself discarded the leg in an attempt (successful or otherwise) to escape the resin!

amber gallery

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