Ancient Wasp Likely Used Tail to Trap Flies, Study Suggests

Fast Summary

• Discovery: Extinct wasp species Sirenobethylus charybdis, preserved in amber, displays a unique trap-like abdomen used to immobilize other insects.
• Amber Origin: The specimens where found in Myanmar’s Kachin region and date back approximately 99 million years to the Cretaceous period.
• Unique Anatomy: Female wasps had abdomens comprising three movable flaps, likely used as a grasping structure resembling a Venus flytrap mechanism.
• Behavior Indication: Hair-like sensory structures on the abdomen suggest ambush behavior for capturing prey to lay eggs on them.
• Scientific Analysis: Researchers compared characteristics with living parasitoid Chrysidoidea species like cuckoo wasps, which parasitize hosts during larval advancement.
• Research Techniques: Micro-CT scanning was applied to analyze 16 preserved specimens.
• Significance: Experts regard this as a novel evolutionary adaptation among parasitoid insects answering how hosts were immobilized while eggs were laid.

Images:

1. Specimen of Sirenobethylus charybdis encased in amber – [Qiong Wu]
2. Grasping structure (three abdominal flaps) – [Qiong Wu]