It was all going so well. 100-million-years ago a male damselfly spotted a potential mate and set about attempting to woo her with an intricate courtship dance.

Waving his impressive pod-like lower limbs in the air and beating his wings furiously, the tiny insect pulled out all the stops to signal his interest to his intended.

But, the course of true love never did run smooth, and this unfortunate damselfly, rather than enjoying the fruits of his labour, found himself encased in sticky tree sap, which later turned into amber.

It is the first time the mating dance of ancient insects has been discovered fossilised in amber.