Die Sammlung der „Messel-Invertebraten“

Paleoentomology

Collection


The collection of „Messel-Invertebrates“ is located at the Senckenberg Research station Grube Messel at Messel. The collection comprises actual 19.000 fossils from the Messel pit fossil site.

It contains mostly fossil insects (Insecta), with relatively few finds the following invertebrate groups are present:  sponges (Porifera), molluscs (Mollusca), crustaceans (Crustacea), spiders (Araneae) and harvestmen (Opiliones).

Among insects, with about 60% of the fossils beetles (Coleoptera) are dominating, followed by hymenopterans (Hymenoptera) und true bugs (Heteroptera). Many more orders are present with smaller numbers in the collection.