Friday, June 19, 2020

Florissant Formation Snout Beetle Fossil


This image shows an insect fossil found in the Florissant Formation of Teller County, Colorado, USA. It dates to the Eocene Epoch of the Paleogene Period. Thanks to Kenny for the matrix plate. I split the plate and then used the microscope find it. The fossil split in two so there is an  image of each side. The image below is of the plate before it was split (about 10 cm wide). The actual fossil is about 3.54 mm long. My original guess and posting was this fossil was some sort of seed pod or flower bud. Afterwards, my cousin Kenny identified it as a snout beetle or weevil of the Order Coleoptera, Family Curculionidae.