570 vanished lives

187Mesozoic

Four broad, densely veined wings carried this stem dragonfly on patrol above Jurassic lakeshores.

188Mesozoic

Preserved forewing sound structures support a reconstructed musical call: 6.4 kHz in 2012 and about 5 kHz in a later model.

189Mesozoic

Huge eyespots, broad wings and an elongate mouthpart created a butterfly-like insect before butterflies flourished.

190Mesozoic

Scaling from the surviving wing fragment suggests a wing as long as 16 centimeters, among the largest lacewings known.

191Mesozoic

Four lobed wings nearly match ginkgoalean leaves from the same bed, rare evidence of deep-time leaf mimicry.

192Mesozoic

About 17 millimeters long and unable to jump, it carried serrated piercing mouthparts far larger than those of modern fleas.

193Mesozoic

Broad pads at the tips of long legs could grip a smooth wing membrane, suggesting a possible life on pterosaurs.

194Mesozoic

Only about a centimeter long, it already folded spine-lined grasping forelegs beneath its chest.

195Mesozoic

Cycad pollen lies beside it in amber, and its jaws bear small specialized pits for transporting pollen.

380Mesozoic

Its sickle mandibles closed upward against the head instead of sideways.

381Mesozoic

A metal-reinforced head horn and rising jaws formed a specialized clamp.

382Mesozoic

A long forehead horn opposed upward-curving mandibles.

383Mesozoic

An elongated prothorax gave this aculeate relative a neck-like outline.

384Mesozoic

Wingless females combined a wasp waist with enlarged jumping hind legs.

385Mesozoic

A long neck and grasping forelegs converged on the mantis body plan.

386Mesozoic

Short leathery forewings covered folded membranous hindwings.

387Mesozoic

Six extremely long legs may have spread its weight across the water surface.

388Mesozoic

A long siphon accessed sugary secretions before flowers evolved.

389Mesozoic

It resembled a giant primitive flea but may not be a direct flea ancestor.

396Mesozoic

Raptorial forelegs and three tail filaments formed a lost mayfly body plan.

397Mesozoic

Large wings and robust mouthparts belonged to the spectacular titanopterans.

398Mesozoic

Pollen on the legs and body records an early pollination relationship.

427Mesozoic

Once imagined as a parasite, it was later shown to have an aquatic juvenile stage.

428Mesozoic

An abdominal light organ pushes beetle bioluminescence into the dinosaur age.