{{Short description|Miocene amber from Mexico}} [[File:PolishedAmberMuseumAmberSanCris03.JPG|thumb|right| Polished Amber stones from Simijovel at the Museum of Amber (Museo del Ámbar) in [[San Cristóbal de las Casas]], Chiapas, Mexico]] '''Mexican amber''', also known as '''Chiapas Amber''' is [[amber]] found in [[Mexico]], created during the [[Early Miocene ]] and [[middle Miocene]] epochs of the Cenozoic Era in southwestern North America. As with other ambers, a wide variety of taxa have been found as inclusions including insects<ref name="De Andrade1995">{{Cite journal |last1=De Andrade |first1=M. L. |year=1995 |title=The ant genus ''Aphaenogaster'' in Dominican and Mexican amber (Amber Collection Stuttgart: Hymenoptera, Formicidae. IX: Pheidolini) |journal=Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie) |volume=223 |pages=1–11}}</ref><ref name="Engel2007">{{cite journal |last1=Engel |first1=Michael S. |last2=Grimaldi |first2=David A. |title=The Neuropterid Fauna of Dominican and Mexican Amber (Neuropterida: Megaloptera, Neuroptera) |journal=American Museum Novitates |date=September 2007 |issue=3587 |pages=1–58 |doi=10.1206/0003-0082(2007)3587[1:TNFODA]2.0.CO;2 |hdl=2246/5880 |s2cid=49393365 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/itempdf/281146 }}</ref><ref name="Jennings2012">{{cite journal |last1=Jennings |first1=John T. |last2=Krogmann |first2=Lars |last3=Mew |first3=Steven L. |title=''Hyptia deansi'' sp. nov., the first record of Evaniidae (Hymenoptera) from Mexican amber |journal=Zootaxa |date=18 June 2012 |volume=3349 |issue=1 |pages=63 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3349.1.7 |s2cid=1615260 }}</ref><ref name="Krishna1983">{{cite journal |last1=Krishna |first1=Kumar |last2=Emerson |first2=Alfred Edwards |title=A new fossil species of termite from Mexican amber, Mastotermes electromexicus (Isoptera, Mastotermitidae) |journal=American Museum Novitates |date=1983 |hdl=2246/5310 }}</ref><ref name="Solórzano Kraemer2007">{{Cite journal |last1=Solórzano Kraemer |first1=M. M. |last2=Mohrig |first2=W. |year=2007 |title=''Schwenckfeldina archoica'' sp. nov. (Diptera, Sciaridae) from the middle Miocene Mexican amber |journal=Alavesia |volume=1 |pages=105–108 |url=http://www.online-keys.net/sciaroidea/2000_/Kraemer_%26_Mohrig_ALAVESIA_2007_105.pdf |s2cid=90676751 }}</ref> and other arthropods,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Solórzano Kraemer |first1=Mónica |title=Systematic, palaeoecology, and palaeobiogeography of the insect fauna from Mexican amber |journal=Palaeontographica Abteilung A |date=10 December 2007 |volume=282 |issue=1–6 |pages=1–133 |doi=10.1127/pala/282/2007/1 }}</ref> as well as plant fragments<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Heinrichs |first1=Jochen |last2=Schäfer-Verwimp |first2=Alfons |last3=Boxberger |first3=Julia |last4=Feldberg |first4=Kathrin |last5=Solórzano Kraemer |first5=Mónica M. |last6=Schmidt |first6=Alexander R. |title=A fossil species of Ceratolejeunea (Lejeuneaceae, Porellales) preserved in Miocene Mexican amber |journal=The Bryologist |date=19 March 2014 |volume=117 |issue=1 |pages=10–14 |doi=10.1639/0007-2745-117.1.010 |s2cid=83696803 }}</ref> and epiphyllous fungi.<ref name="Poinar2003">{{cite journal |last1=Poinar |first1=George |title=Coelomycetes in Dominican and Mexican amber |journal=Mycological Research |date=January 2003 |volume=107 |issue=1 |pages=117–122 |doi=10.1017/s0953756202007001 |pmid=12735252 }}</ref>
== Context == [[File:Tityus apozonalli plosone plate 01.jpg|thumb|Some amber sites in Mexico]] Mexican amber is mainly recovered from fossil bearing rocks in the [[Simojovel]] region of [[Chiapas]], Mexico. It is one of the main minerals recovered in the state of [[Chiapas]], much of which is from 23 to 27 million years old, with quality comparable to [[Dominican amber|that found in the Dominican Republic]]. Chiapan amber has a number of unique qualities, including much that is clear all the way through and some with fossilized insects and plants. Most Chiapan amber is worked into jewelry including pendants, rings and necklaces. Colors vary from white to yellow/orange to a deep red, but there are also green and pink tones as well. Since pre-Hispanic times, native peoples have believed amber to have healing and protective qualities.{{fact|date=December 2020}}
The largest amber mine is in [[Simojovel]], a small village 130 km from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, which produces 95% of Chiapas' amber. Other mines are found in Huitiupán, Totolapa, El Bosque, Pueblo Nuevo Solistahuacán, Pantelhó and San Andrés Duraznal. According to the Museum of Amber in San Cristóbal, almost 300 kg of amber is extracted per month from the state. Prices vary depending on quality and color.{{fact|date=December 2020}}
The amber dates from between 22.5 million years old, for the youngest sediments of the [[Balumtun Sandstone]] and 27.3 million years old for the oldest [[La Quinta Formation (Mexico)|La Quinta Formation]].
== Origin == The amber was produced by either the two extinct leguminous trees ''[[Hymenaea mexicana]]'' or ''[[Hymenaea allendis]]'', both of which were initially described from fossil flowers included in Mexican amber.<ref name=Canadell2010>{{cite journal |last1=Calvillo-Canadell |first=L. |last2=Cevallos-Ferriz |first2=S.R.S. |last3=Rico-Arce |first3=L. |title=Miocene ''Hymenaea'' flowers preserved in amber from Simojovel de Allende, Chiapas, Mexico |journal=Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology |year=2010 |volume=160 |issue=3–4 |pages=126–134 |doi=10.1016/j.revpalbo.2010.02.007 }}</ref>
== Fossil inclusions == [[File:AmberScorpionMusSanCris.JPG|thumb|right|Piece of amber with [[scorpion]] as seen through magnifying glass at the Museum of Amber in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico]] The ''[[Tityus apozonalli]]'' scorpion [[holotype]] fossil is composed of a very complete adult male recovered from the Guadalupe Victoria site.<ref name="Riquelme2015">{{cite journal |last1=Riquelme |first1=F. |last2=Villegas-Guzmán |first2=G. |last3=González-Santillán |first3=E. |last4=Córdova-Tabares |first4=V. |last5=Francke |first5=O. F. |last6=Piedra-Jiménez |first6=D. |last7=Estrada-Ruiz |first7=E. |last8=Luna-Castro |first8=B. |year=2015 |title=New Fossil Scorpion from the Chiapas Amber Lagerstätte |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=10 |issue=8 |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0133396 |pmid=26244974 |pmc=4526686 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1033396R |doi-access=free }}</ref> The amber dates from between 23 million years old at the oldest and 15 million years at the youngest. The Guadalupe Victoria site is an outcrop of amber bearing strata belonging to the [[Mazantic Shale]] and [[Balumtum Sandstone]]. The deposits preserve a transitional river or stream environments near the coast and preserves fossils of a [[mangrove forest]] ecosystem.<ref name="Riquelme2015"/> ''[[Asteromites]] [[Asteromites mexicanus|mexicanus]]'' is an epiphyllous [[coelomycetes]] fungus species recovered on a petal.<ref name="Poinar2003"/> Nine specimens of [[Miocene]] crabs are known as inclusions in Chiapas amber.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Serrano-Sánchez |first1=María de Lourdes |last2=Guerao |first2=Guillermo |last3=Centeno-García |first3=Elena |last4=Vega |first4=Francisco J. |last5=Serrano-Sánchez |first5=María de Lourdes |last6=Guerao |first6=Guillermo |last7=Centeno-García |first7=Elena |last8=Vega |first8=Francisco J. |title=Crabs (Brachyura: Grapsoidea: Sesarmidae) as inclusions in Lower Miocene amber from Chiapas, Mexico |journal=Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana |date=2016 |volume=68 |issue=1 |pages=37–43 |doi=10.18268/BSGM2016v68n1a6 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
=== Arthropod species === * ''[[Agria]]'' sp. (a damselfly)<ref name=Alcheringa>{{Cite journal|last1=Zheng|first1=Daran|last2=Nel|first2=André|last3=Jarzembowski|first3=Edmund A.|last4=Chang|first4=Su-Chin|last5=Zhang|first5=Haichun|last6=Wang|first6=Bo|date=2019-01-02|title=Exceptionally well-preserved dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) in Mexican amber|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2018.1456562|journal=Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology|language=en|volume=43|issue=1|pages=157–164|doi=10.1080/03115518.2018.1456562|s2cid=134070211 |issn=0311-5518|url-access=subscription}}</ref> * ''[[Amblypsilopus monicae]]'' Bickel 2016 (long-legged fly) * ''[[Anbarrhacus adamantis]]'' (a millipede) * ''[[Aphaenogaster praerelicta]]'' (an ant) * ''[[Cenocephalus tenuis]]'' Peris and Solórzano Kraemer 2015 (ambrosia beetle) * ''[[Culoptila aguilerai]]'' (a caddisfly) * ''[[Dicromantispa electromexicana]]'' (a mantidfly) * ''[[Erpetogomphus]]'' sp. (a dragonfly)<ref name=Alcheringa/> * ''[[Hyptia deansi]]'' (a wasp) * ''[[Leptopharsa tacanae]]'' (a lace bug) * ''[[Litaneutria pilosuspedes]]'' Terriquez et al. 2022 (mantis)<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Terríquez-Beltrán |first1=J. |last2=Riquelme |first2=F. |last3=Varela-Hernández |first3=F. |date=2022-10-31 |title=A new species of mantis (Insecta: Mantodea: Amelidae) from the Miocene Amber-Lagerstätte in Mexico |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2022.2134782 |journal=Historical Biology |language=en |pages=1–8 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2022.2134782 |s2cid=253280592 |issn=0891-2963|url-access=subscription }}</ref> * ''[[Maatidesmus paachtun]]'' (a millipede) * ''[[Mastotermes electromexicus]]'' (a termite) * ''[[Medetera amissa]]'' Bickel 2016 (long-legged fly) * ''[[Medetera totolapa]]'' Bickel 2016 (long-legged fly) * ''[[Mesorhaga pseudolacrymans]]'' Bickel 2016 (long-legged fly)<ref>{{Cite journal|author1=Daniel J. Bickel |author2=Monica M. Solórzano Kraemer |date=2016|title=The Dolichopodidae (Diptera) of Mexican amber|journal=Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana}}</ref> * ''[[Neoparentia chiapensis]]'' Bickel 2016 (long-legged fly) * ''[[Parastemmiulus elektron]]'' (a millipede) * ''[[Peloropeodes paleomexicana]]'' Bickel 2016 (long-legged fly) * ''[[Schwenckfeldina archoica]]'' (a fungus gnat) * ''[[Termitaradus protera]]'' (a termite bug) * ''[[Tesserocerus simojovelensis]]'' Peris and Solórzano Kraemer 2015 (ambrosia beetle)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Peris |first1=David |last2=Solórzano Kraemer |first2=Mónica M. |last3=Peñalver |first3=Enrique |last4=Delclòs |first4=Xavier |title=New ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Platypodinae) from Miocene Mexican and Dominican ambers and their paleobiogeographical implications |journal=Organisms Diversity & Evolution |date=September 2015 |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=527–542 |doi=10.1007/s13127-015-0213-y |s2cid=8619185 }}</ref> * ''[[Tityus apozonalli]]'' (a scorpion) * ''[[Tityus knodeli]]'' (a scorpion) * ''[[Tonocatecutlius]]'' sp. (a planthopper)
== References == {{reflist|30em|}}
== External links == * {{commons category-inline|Mexican amber}}
[[Category:Mexican amber| ]] [[Category:Mexican Designation of Origin]] [[Category:Fossils of Mexico]] [[Category:Natural history of Chiapas]] [[Category:Neogene Mexico|Amber]] [[Category:Paleogene Mexico|Amber]] [[Category:Miocene life of North America]] [[Category:Oligocene life of North America]] [[Category:Mining in Mexico]]