Overview

• Researchers examined about 60 amber pieces from the Hollín Formation in Ecuador's Oriente Basin.
• They identified 21 bio-inclusions, including midges, beetles, parasitic wasps, whiteflies, and a fragment of spider web.
• The material dates to roughly 112 million years ago, making it among the oldest amber occurrences known from the continent.
• The team interprets the assemblage as evidence of humid forest conditions with freshwater microhabitats such as ponds.
• The study was led by the University of Barcelona, published in Communications Earth & Environment, and publicized by the Senckenberg society.