Using scientific illustration to reconstruct extinct species

Scientific illustration has a rich history of assisting entomologists describe and compare species morphology. When extinct Cretaceous Coreidae and Umenocoleidae specimens were discovered preserved in amber, scientific illustration was utilized to build complete reconstructions of what the species once looked like in life.

This case study of five species preserved in amber (three Cretaceous coreids: Ferriantenna excalibur, Ferriantenna “club-like antennae," and Magnusantenna wuae; and two Cretaceous umenocoleids: Archaeospinapteryx tartarensis and Trapezionotum vrsanskyi) highlights how entomologists and artist worked together to create life-like reconstructions from holotypes. These illustrated reconstructions provide a complete view of often fragmented or incomplete specimens, making comparative morphology and evolutionary hypotheses easier to describe and display for audiences.