It is an extinct lineage of parasitic wasps. Data of the middle Cretaceous and is preserved in amber. He used his abdomen similar to that of a carnivorous plant to capture and immobilize his prey. The wasp that killed with the stomach retains its secrets thanks to amber.
The investigation was published in BMC Biology. It reveals details of the Sirenobethylus Charybdis specimens. He was named for the marine monster of Greek mythology that swallowed and vomited water three times a day. Date almost 99 million years ago and could represent a new family of insects.
Parasitoid
The morphology of S. Charybdis indicates that the wasps were parasitoid. That is, insects whose larvae live as parasites and finally kill their guests. The current rear parasitoid that suggests that the species belongs to their own family, Sirenobethylidae.
Researchers from the Normal Capital University of China and the Natural History Museum of Denmark used computerized tomography (MCT). They analyzed 16 female specimens of S. Charybdis preserved in amber and dated at 98.79 million years. These specimens were collected in the Kachin region, north of Myanmar.
They found that the species was probably a parasitoid that allows its guest to continue growing while feeding on it. Wasp specimens have an abdominal device composed of three fins. The lower forms a palette -shaped structure with a dozen hair similar to hair. It visually reminds us of a trapamas plant.
Unusual tactic
The wasp that killed with the stomach is unpublished. The authors point out that the abdominal apparatus of S. Charybdis is different from any known insect. It could serve as a mechanism to temporarily contain the guest during eggs. The wasp probably could not persecute its prey at long distances. Therefore, they speculate that he would have waited with the open apparatus for a possible guest to activate his capture response.
The authors believe that the complex prison apparatus allowed S. Charybdis to capture very mobile dams. For example, small winged insects or jumpers. The preserved specimens confirm a broader range of parasitoid strategies in the middle cretaceous than their current counterparts.
