Department of Integrative Biology

Aphids and crane flies in amber purported to have originated in China were examined. Six aphid specimens were characterised and determined to be conspecific with Germaraphis defuncta Heie, originally described from Baltic amber. Two crane flies from the same collection were identified as Cheilotrichia minuta and Rhabdomastix brevis, species also previously described from Baltic amber. This study shows that when the locality of an amber source is ambiguous, fossils can be used to determine the true province.