Size reference
Source supportedAbout 4.3 mm body length
Female holotype, excluding antennae; not a genus-wide range. [D1]
EXHIBIT 266
Prosphex
Prosphex
Prehistoric insect
Prosphex was a small Cretaceous stinging wasp preserved with flowering-plant pollen around its mouth. [2]
TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST
Science & the silver screen
Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.
01 / SOURCE-INFORMED RECONSTRUCTION
A life reconstruction from the evidence
Image unavailableIllustrative life reconstruction of Prosphex in a period-appropriate environment; coloration and missing anatomy are interpretations.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
An illustrative reconstruction. Compare its anatomy with the evidence and limitations in the dossier. [1]
Source-informed reconstruction. Appearance evidence [1]. Original illustration; missing anatomy, coloration and scenery include interpretation.
Fossils constrain this life reconstruction. Missing anatomy, coloration and the environmental scene include interpretation; the dossier explains the evidence limits.
02 / MOVIE-STYLE INTERPRETATION
A cinematic imagination
Image unavailableSource-informed Prosphex wasp restoration; its precise living color, visited flower and nesting behavior are unknown.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
An illustrative reconstruction. Compare its anatomy with the evidence and limitations in the dossier. Lighting, coloration and scenery are artistic choices. This image does not document a fossil locality or behavior.
Original artwork · artistic interpretation.
Scientific view: source-informed reconstruction, credited paleoart or specimen-based imagery. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Reconstructions involve uncertainty.
PERIODMid-Cretaceous[2]
DIETPollen feeding supportedEvidence and uncertainty in the dossier
TOTAL LENGTHSee the dossierEstimate scope matters
FOSSILS FOUNDMyanmar[1]
MEET THE ANIMAL
Meet Prosphex
Prosphex was a small stinging wasp preserved in Cretaceous amber from Myanmar. Its female holotype measured about 4.3 millimeters in body length, excluding the antennae. Researchers found flowering-plant pollen around its mouth and detected a mass inside the mouth cavity. These details support pollen feeding, rather than merely showing that an insect happened to be trapped near loose grains. The fossil does not establish a nest, a colony or a courtship ritual. [D1]
An institutional research report explains that the amber formed from resin in a conifer forest around 100 million years ago. Early flowering plants may have grown in brighter understory patches and along waterways. The team mapped 656 pollen grains associated with the wasp, but could not say what the visited flower looked like. [D2]
A living illustration can therefore show a forest setting without identifying an invented flower as its certain food source. This insect offers evidence of an ancient connection between pollen-feeding insects and flowering plants while leaving many details of its daily life unknown. [D2]
PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER
A life in profile.
The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.
A pollen mass and surrounding grains support feeding; the precise flower and nesting behavior remain unknown. [D2]
Profile scope: Genus — Prosphex; female P. anthophilos holotype AMNHBu-KL18-31 from Kachin amber anchors this exhibit. [D1]
- Time
- Mid-Cretaceous
- Fossil locations in this exhibit
- Myanmar
How to read the evidence
Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.
A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.
Body mass
Not establishedNot established here
No mass estimate is reported. [D1]
Diet
Source supportedPollen feeding supported
A mouth-associated mass and surrounding eudicot pollen provide direct evidence. [D1]
Habitat
InferredCretaceous resin forest inferred
The institutional report reconstructs conifer forest with flowering understory. [D2]
Movement
InferredWalking and flight inferred
Six legs and developed wings support these capabilities. [D1]
Distinctive anatomy
Source supportedSmall stinging wasp
Four wings, segmented antennae and a female sting distinguish it from a fly. [D1]
Reproduction & life together
Reproduction
Source supportedFemale adult documented
Attributed eggs and nests remain unestablished here. [D1]
Courtship
Not establishedNot established here
The single adult preserves no courtship sequence. [D1]
Social behavior
Not establishedNot established here
Pollen feeding does not demonstrate a colony. [D1]
Dossier research & sources
Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.
- Direct evidence for eudicot pollen-feeding in a Cretaceous stinging wasp preserved in Burmese amberCommunications Biology; Grimaldi et al., 2019 · Accessed 2026-10-09Full original XML/article and figure1 wing venation, lateral anatomy and microCT inspected; female 4.3 mm body, aculeate placement, pollen mass, 656 mapped grains and biological limitations. · Inspected: page
- Descubren por primera vez un insecto polinizador cubierto de polen de angiospermas de la Era de los dinosauriosInstituto Geológico y Minero de España, 2019 · Accessed 2026-10-09Full four-page institutional research-team release inspected in Spanish; approximately 100-million-year amber, pollen evidence, explicit unknown flower appearance and conifer forest/flowering understory interpretation. · Inspected: page
THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS
A missing flower
The institutional report explicitly leaves the visited flower’s appearance unknown. [2]
A note on scale and time
The dossier identifies the scope of each reference estimate. A mount, an individual fossil and a species-wide adult range are different measurements. Comparison metrics remain unavailable where adult scope has not been established. Unknown does not mean zero.
Sources & editorial notes
Sources support the stated claims and scopes. Refer to the evidence notes for uncertainty.
- Direct evidence for eudicot pollen-feeding in a Cretaceous stinging wasp preserved in Burmese amberCommunications Biology; Grimaldi et al., 2019 · Accessed 2026-10-09Full original XML/article and figure1 wing venation, lateral anatomy and microCT inspected; female 4.3 mm body, aculeate placement, pollen mass, 656 mapped grains and biological limitations. · Inspected: page
- Descubren por primera vez un insecto polinizador cubierto de polen de angiospermas de la Era de los dinosauriosInstituto Geológico y Minero de España, 2019 · Accessed 2026-10-09Full four-page institutional research-team release inspected in Spanish; approximately 100-million-year amber, pollen evidence, explicit unknown flower appearance and conifer forest/flowering understory interpretation. · Inspected: page
KEEP EXPLORING
More from the collection
Image unavailableIllustrative living reconstruction of Cretophengodes; missing anatomy and exact colors remain uncertain.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Cretophengodes
Cretophengodes
Prehistoric insect
Cretophengodes was a Cretaceous beetle whose preserved abdominal organ supports ancient light production.
Not establishedMeet this animal
Image unavailableIllustrative living reconstruction of Angimordella; missing anatomy and exact colors remain uncertain.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Angimordella
Angimordella
Prehistoric insect
Angimordella was a Cretaceous beetle preserved with pollen; its specialized pollinator role remains uncertain after reassessment.
Not establishedMeet this animal
Image unavailableIllustrative living reconstruction of Alienopterus; missing anatomy and exact colors remain uncertain.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Alienopterus
Alienopterus
Prehistoric insect
Alienopterus combined short forewings, long hindwings and walking legs in a Cretaceous insect related to the roach–mantis lineage.
Animal feeding inferredMeet this animal