Jurassic Dragonfly Tharsophlebia minor

Description

Rare Jurassic Dragonfly Tharsophlebia minor from Solnhofen Limestone for sale. The lenght of the specimen here is 4,5 cm and each wing is 2.8 cm. Average for the species. I is a good preserved specimen, with some legs showing in front. The wings show nice structures. It is a hard guess, but the thin not enlarged abdomen points to an male. These Jurassic Dragonflies are very much like our todays Dragonflies. Males are slim and have cerci. They are little extensions on the end of the abdomen, to hold on to the females. Female Dragonflies have a at the end a rounded enlarged abdomen. The order Odonata which these Jurassic Dragonflies belong features also todays modern Dragonflies.

The limestone slab has been broken and the thin top layer is stabilised with another layer in the back. It is a fine  preparation work, done by professionals. One of the cracks runs through the left side of the Dragonfly.

Dragonflies are harder to get these days. The Solnhofen and Eichstaedt Quarries worked on a lower scale in the more recents years. Many Quarries closed down or producing products with machines. The days of the old handbroken Limestones for decorative purposes are almost over for now. As of July 2023 the remaining quarries closed down for now. There is more in storage, than there is demand. Although there are a couple “you dig” quarries that might give up a rare Dragonfly once in a while. The others will come from private collections.

The Jurassic Dragonfly Tarsophlebia minor is a more rare species. The larger cousin Tarsophlebia eximia is a more common find in the Solnhofen area.

For more information you can go to or click here :  https://www.solnhofen-fossilienatlas.de and write the german name for Dragonflies = Libellen, under Suche. If you want a english translation it would be better to google Solnhofen Fossilienatls and choose “translate this page” in Google already.

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Additional information