Prussian Formation

The Prussian Formation, previously known as the Amber Formation, is a geologic formation in Prussia, today mostly Kaliningrad Oblast that dates to the Eocene. It holds 90% of the world's amber supply and Baltic amber is found exclusively in the Prussian Formation.

The Prussian Formation is equivalent to the Obukhov Formation of Ukraine and Belarus.

Geological context

''In situ'' Baltic amber is found within the Prussian Formation, with the main amber bearing horizon being referred to as "Blue Earth", so named due to its glauconite content. The formation is exposed in the northern part of the Sambia Peninsula in Kaliningrad.

Different authors have given estimates of 40-47 million years ago and 35-43 million years ago as the age of the Prussian Formation.

Paleobiology

Numerous extinct genera and species of plants and animals have been discovered and scientifically described from inclusions in the Prussian Formation. Inclusions of insects make up over 98% of the animals preserved in the amber, while all other arthropods, annelids, molluscs, nematodes, protozoans contribute less than 0.5% of the animals. Vertebrates are another 0.5% of the animals included and mostly are represented by mammal fur, feathers, and reptiles.

Flora

Fauna

{{columns-list, *''Agroecomyrmex'' Wheeler, 1910{{ cite journal , last1 = Wheeler , first1 = W. M. , title = The Ants of the Baltic Amber , journal = Schriften der Physikalisch-Ökonomischen Gesellschaft zu Königsberg , year = 1914 , volume = 55 , issue = 4 , pages = 56–59
*'' Aphaenogaster mersa'' Wheeler, 1915
*'' Aphaenogaster oligocenica'' Wheeler, 1915
*'' Aphaenogaster sommerfeldti'' (Mayr, 1868)
*'' Arostropsis'' Yunakov & Kirejtshuk, 2011{{Cite journal , last1=Yunakov , first1=N.N. , last2=Kirejtshuk , first2=A.G. , year=2011 , title=New genus and species of broad-nosed weevils from Baltic amber and notes on fossils of the subfamily Entiminae (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) , journal= ZooKeys , issue=160 , pages = 73–96 , doi= 10.3897/zookeys.160.2108 , pmid=22303121 , pmc=3253632, doi-access=free
*'' Aspidopleura'' Gibson, 2009{{cite journal , last1 = Gibson , first1 = G. A. P. , year = 2009 , title = Description of three New Genera and four New Species of Neanastatinae (Hymenoptera, Eupelmidae) from Baltic Amber, with Discussion of their Relationships to Extant Taxa , journal = ZooKeys , issue = 20 , pages = 175–214 , url = http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/article/view/161 , doi = 10.3897/zookeys.20.161 , access-date = 2011-03-29 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100922071426/http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/article/view/161 , archive-date = 2010-09-22 , url-status = dead , doi-access = free
*'' Asymphylomyrmex'' Wheeler, 1915
*'' Balticopta gusakovi'' Balashov & Perkovsky, 2020Balashov I.A. & Perkovsky E.E. 2020
An Eocene land snail ''Balticopta gusakovi'' gen.n., sp.n. (Stylommatophora: Gastrocoptidae) from Baltic amber
// Invertebrate Zoology. Vol.17. No.1: 18–24.
*'' Baltimartyria'' Skalski, 1995
*''Baltocteniza'' Eskov & Zonstein, 2000{{cite journal , last1=Eskov , first1=K. Y. , last2=Zonstein , first2=S. L. , year=2000 , title=The First Ctenizoid Mygalomorph Spiders from Eocene Baltic Amber (Araneida: Mygalomorphae: Ctenizidae) , journal=Paleontological Journal , volume=34 , issue=3 , pages=S268–S274}
Part 1part 2
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*'' Brevivulva'' Gibson, 2009
*'' Deinodryinus areolatus'' (Ponomarenko, 1975){{Cite journal , last1= Guglielmino , first1=A. , last2=Olmi , first2=M. , year=2011 , title=Revision of fossil species of ''Deinodryinus'', with description of a new species (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) , journal= ZooKeys , issue=130 , pages = 495–504 , doi=10.3897/zookeys.130.1326 , pmid=22259295 , pmc=3260777, doi-access=free
*'' Deinodryinus velteni'' Guglielmino & Olmi, 2011
*''Diochus electrus'' Chatzimanolis & Engel, 2011{{Cite journal , last1=Chatzimanolis , first1=S. , last2=Engel , first2=M. S. , title=A new species of ''Diochus'' from Baltic amber (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Diochini) , journal=ZooKeys , year=2011 , issue=138 , pages=65–73 , doi=10.3897/zookeys.138.1896 , url=https://www.pensoft.net/J_FILES/1/articles/1896/1896-G-3-layout.pdf , pmid=22144854 , pmc=3208521, doi-access=free
*''Electrinocellia'' (Carpenter) Engel, 1995{{ cite journal , last1 = Engel , first1 = M. S. , year = 1995 , title = A New Fossil Snake-Fly Species from Baltic Amber (Raphidioptera: Inocelliidae) , journal = Psyche: A Journal of Entomology , volume = 102 , issue = 3–4 , pages = 187–193 , doi = 10.1155/1995/23626 , doi-access = free , hdl = 1808/16479 , hdl-access = free
*'' Electrocteniza'' Eskov & Zonstein, 2000
*'' Electropodagrion'' Azar & Nel, 2008{{cite journal , last1=Azar , first1=D. , last2=Nel , first2=A. , year=2008 , title= First Baltic amber megapodagrionid damselfly (Odonata: Zygoptera) , journal=Annales de la Société Entomologique de France , series=New Series , volume=44 , issue=4 , pages=451–457 , doi=10.1080/00379271.2008.10697580, doi-access=free {{subscription required, via=Taylor & Francis
*'' Electrostephanus'' Brues, 1933{{Cite journal , last1=Engel , first1=M.S. , last2=Ortega-Blanco , first2=J. , year=2008 , title=The fossil crown wasp ''Electrostephanus petiolatus'' Brues in Baltic Amber (Hymenoptera, Stephanidae): designation of a neotype, revised classification, and a key to amber Stephanidae , journal= ZooKeys , issue=4 , pages = 55–64 , doi=10.3897/zookeys.4.49, doi-access=free , hdl=2445/36428 , hdl-access=free
*'' Elektrithone'' Makarkin, Wedmann, & Weiterschan, 2014{{Cite journal, last1=Makarkin , first1=VN , last2=Wedmann , first2=S , last3=Weiterschan , first3=T , year=2014 , title=First record of the family Ithonidae (Neuroptera) from Baltic amber , journal=Zootaxa , volume=3796 , issue=2 , pages=385–393 , doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3796.2.10 , pmid=24870683
*'' Eogeometer vadens'' Fischer, Michalski & Hausmann, 2019{{cite journal , last1=Fischer , first1=Thilo C. , last2=Michalski , first2=Artur , last3=Hausmann , first3=Axel , year=2019 , title=Geometrid caterpillar in Eocene Baltic amber (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) , journal=Scientific Reports , volume=9 , issue=1 , pages=Article number 17201 , doi=10.1038/s41598-019-53734-w , pmid=31748672 , pmc=6868187, bibcode=2019NatSR...917201F
*'' Epiborkhausenites'' Skalski, 1973{{Cite journal , last1 = Skalski , first1 = A. W. , title = Studies on the Lepidoptera from Fossil Resins. Part II. ''Epiborkhausenites obscurotrimaculatus'' gen. et sp. nov. (Oecophoridae) and a Tineid-Moth Discovered in the Baltic Amber , journal = Acta Palaeontologica Polonica , year = 1973 , volume = 18 , issue = 1 , pages = 153–160 , url = http://app.pan.pl/archive/published/app18/app18-153.pdf
*'' Glisachaemus'' Szwedo, 2007{{cite journal , last1=Szwedo , first1=J. , year=2007 , title=''Glisachaemus jonasdamzeni'' gen. et sp. nov. of Cixiidae from the Eocene Baltic amber (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha) , journal=Alavesia , volume=1 , pages=109–116 , url=http://ag.udel.edu/delpha/4299.pdf , access-date=2015-06-09 , archive-date=2011-07-19 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719015738/http://ag.udel.edu/delpha/4299.pdf , url-status=dead
*'' Gracillariites'' Kozlov, 1987
*'' Metanephrocerus collini'' Carpenter & Hull, 1939{{cite journal , last1=Kehlmaier , first1=C , last2=Dierick , first2=M , last3=Skevington , first3=JH , year=2014 , title=Micro-CT studies of amber inclusions reveal internal genitalic features of big-headed flies, enabling a systematic placement of ''Metanephrocerus'' Aczel, 1948 (Insecta: Diptera: Pipunculidae) , journal=Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny , volume=72 , issue=1 , pages=23–36, doi=10.3897/asp.72.e31784 , doi-access=free
*'' Metanephrocerus groehni'' Kehlmaier & Skevington, 2014
*'' Metanephrocerus hoffeinsorum'' Kehlmaier & Skevington, 2014
*''Electrocrania'' Kuznezov, 1941
*''Fibla carpenteri'' Engel, 1995
*'' Metapelma archetypon'' Gibson, 2009
*'' Micropterix gertraudae'' Kurz & Kurz, 2010
*'' Mindarus harringtoni'' (Hele, 2008)
*'' Neanaperiallus'' Gibson, 2009
*'' Palaeovespa baltica'' Cockerell, 1909{{Cite journal, last1 = Cockerell , first1 = T. D. A. , year = 1906 , title = Fossil Hymenoptera from Florissant, Colorado , journal = Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology , volume = 50 , issue = 2 , url = https://archive.org/details/fossilhymenopter00cockiala
*'' Palaeovespa socialis'' Pionar, 2005{{ cite journal , last1 = Poinar , first1 = G. , author-link = George Poinar Jr. , year = 2005 , title = Fossil Trigonalidae and Vespidae (Hymenoptera) in Baltic Amber , journal = Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington , volume = 107 , issue = 1 , pages = 55–63 , url = https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32142741
*'' Prolyonetia'' Kusnetzov, 1941
*'' Propupa'' Stworzewicz & Pokryszko, 2006{{ cite journal , author1=Stworzewicz, E. , author2=Pokryszko, B. M. , year = 2006 , title = Eocene Terrestrial Snails (Gastropoda) from Baltic Amber , journal = Annales Zoologici , volume = 56 , issue = 1 , pages = 215–224 , url = http://www.miiz.waw.pl/periodicals/annales-zoologici/abstracts/AZ-56-1-abs.pdf
*'' Pseudogarypus synchrotron'' Henderickx, 2012{{Cite journal , last1=Henderickx , first1=H. , last2=Tafforeau , first2=P. , last3=Soriano , first3=C , year=2012 , title=Phase-contrast synchrotron microtomography reveals the morphology of a partially visible new ''Pseudogarypus'' in Baltic amber (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudogarypidae) , journal= Palaeontologia Electronica , volume=15 , issue=2;17A,11p , pages = 1–11 , url=http://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2012-issue-2-articles/252-pseudogarypus-synchrotron
*'' Stigmellites baltica'' (Kozlov, 1988) (Lepidopteran leaf mines)
*''Xylolaemus sakhnovi'' Alekseev & Lord, 2014{{cite journal , last1=Alekseev , first1=VI , last2=Lord , first2=NP , year=2014 , title=A new species of ''Xylolaemus'' (Coleoptera: Zopheridae: Colydiinae) from Baltic amber , journal=Baltic Journal of Coleopterology , volume=14 , issue=1 , pages=97–102 , issn= 1407-8619
*''Succinipatopsis'' Poinar, 2000{{Cite journal , first1 = G. Jr. , last1 = Poinar , title = Fossil Onychophorans from Dominican and Baltic Amber: ''Tertiapatus dominicanus'' n.g., n.sp. (Tertiapatidae n.fam.) and ''Succinipatopsis balticus'' n.g., n.sp. (Succinipatopsidae n.fam.) with a Proposed Classification of the Subphylum Onychophora , journal = Invertebrate Biology , volume = 119 , issue = 1 , pages = 104–9 , year = 2000, doi = 10.1111/j.1744-7410.2000.tb00178.x, doi-access = free
*'' Yantarogekko balticus'' Bauer et al., 2005
*'' Yantaromyrmex constricta'' (Mayr, 1868){{cite journal , last1=Dlussky , first1=GM , last2=Dubovikoff , first2=DA , year=2013 , title=''Yantaromyrmex'' gen. n. – a new ant genus (Hymenoptera Formicidae) from Late Eocene ambers of Europe , journal=Caucasian Entomological Bulletin , volume=9 , issue=2 , pages=305–314 , url=http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/images/0/08/Dlussky%2C_G.M._%26_Dubovikoff%2C_D.A._2013._Yantaromyrmex_gen._n._%E2%80%93_a_new_ant_genus_%28Hymenoptera_Formicidae%29_from_Late_Eocene_ambers_of_Europe.pdf, doi=10.23885/1814-3326-2013-9-2-305-314 , doi-access=free
*'' Yantaromyrmex geinitzi'' (Mayr, 1868)
*'' Yantaromyrmex samlandica'' (Wheeler, 1915), colwidth=15em

References

Geology of Russia
Amber