A new amber outcrop from the Late Cretaceous of Xingning Basin, South China

Mesozoic amber-bearing deposits provide invaluable insights into palaeoecosystems and the evolutionary history of life. Here we report newly discovered amber from the Yetang Formation in the Xingning Basin, eastern Guangdong Province, dated to the early Late Cretaceous (late Cenomanian–Coniacian). The amber pieces are millimetric in size and predominantly exhibit a yellow-brownish hue. Biostratigraphic evidence suggests that the Xingning amber predates the recently discovered Guangzhou amber from the Dalangshan Formation. The Xingning amber is found alongside abundant fossils of gymnosperms and angiosperms, as well as diverse animal fossils, including insects, conchostracans, ostracods, bivalves, and dinosaurs, within a lacustrine setting. Together, these fossils form part of the Late Cretaceous Xingning Biota.